Report Cites Behavioral and Genetic Differences Among Siblings with Autism

Most siblings with a diagnosis of autism do not share the same genetic risk factors for the disorder and are as distinct in their behaviors as any brothers and sisters, scientists reported on Monday in a study that came as a surprise to many doctors, if not to parents.

Scientists analyzed genetic material from 85 families, using a technology called whole-genome sequencing. Unlike other approaches, which illuminate a sample of a person’s genetic material, the whole-genome technique maps out the entire voluminous recipe, every biological typo, every misplaced comma or transposed letter. Each of the families had two children with a diagnosis of autism.

Autism's Impact, Good and Bad, on Siblings

Ranit Mishori is a family physician and faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Ranit, top, and her brother Dror.

One of the least fun moments I recall from my years of growing up with an autistic brother was when he bit me on the cheek — just in time for my class photo. I was 12 and he was 11. I went into school with visible bite marks, and when they sat me in the chair for my solo shot, I told them that the cat had done it.
That’s one of the bad stories. As for a good one . . . um, to be honest, I have a hard time coming up with much.

What Independence Day Means to My Autistic Brother

From Elizabeth Blessing's Caregiving Blog -- just an amazing piece. Better late than never.

Elizabeth and her brother, Bobby.

My profoundly autistic brother, Bobby, was born on July 4. He is my wonderful Independence Day birthday guy who loves American cars from the 1950s, making grape jelly sandwiches, petting cats and going on long walks with his caregivers. Or, as George M. Cohan's song goes, he is a real-live representation of our country, a Yankee Doodle Dandy:
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy,
A Yankee Doodle, do or die;
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam,
Born on the Fourth of July . . .    
As Bobby's representative payee for his government benefits, I received a curious letter from the Social Security Administration the other day. In 13 pages of boiler-plate bureaucratese, the letter announced that they would be reducing Bobby's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits from $683 per month to $427. Combined with his Social Security benefits, he will now be living on $874 per month.
The reason for this reduction?
"He is living independently with cooking facilities." (page 2, paragraph 4, Notice of Planned Action)

Autism Takes a Toll on Siblings

EL PASO, Texas -- There is no question about it -- Amarani loves her older brother, Jimmy. "I love everything about my brother," said Amarani, who, her mother says, is 5 years old going on 14. "I like playing board games like Monopoly, Monopoly Junior and Operation with him. I like playing Barbies versus wrestlers with him, too."
However, there are times when Amarani, whose family and friends call her "Mamas," leaves her brother alone.
"Sometimes my brother needs a break," she said. "I leave him alone until he feels better. Then he calms down and we watch cartoons and movies, and it's all better."
Amarani is wiser and more mature than her age would suggest.

Ethnicity Impacts Sibling Experience

Cultural factors may play a significant role in defining the outcomes of siblings of those with developmental disabilities, a new study finds, affecting whether or not siblings experience anxiety, trouble with school and other challenges.
In a study of 200 siblings ages 8 to 15 — half of whom had a brother or sister with a disability and half of whom had a typically developing sibling — researchers found that Latino siblings of those with developmental disabilities were significantly more likely than other children to internalize anxiety and other psychological issues.
What’s more, Latino children were reluctant to share negative feelings about their sibling’s disability and they exhibited a higher rate of school absences and lower academic grades, according to the study published online in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. These children also had more difficulty with coping skills and in dealing with their parents.

Honoring a Son's Memory

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. -- Gary Stewart delicately held his son Andy's hand Friday morning as he thanked everyone at the Spare Time bowling alley in Clifton Park.
Andy, 14, kept his head turned away as his father fought back tears. Stewart shook the hands of family and friends while clutching his son.
The manager at Spare Time assured Stewart that the entry fees from 76 people who sacrificed their Christmas Eve morning to honor the memory of Gary's other son, Bob Stewart, would go to Andy's school, St. Colman's in Watervliet.
Bob Stewart was four years older than Andy. He was always protective of his brother, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 2.