As the mother of two sons with autism and a third son without it, do I welcome this news? Yes, if it helps kill the idea that autism is somebody's "fault". Autism isn't caused by neglectful parenting; not only that, but parents passing on autistic genes is less significant than had been thought. Although some of these gene variations are inherited, others are found only in children. This helps explain why in some cases autism "runs in the family", but in others it comes out of nowhere. If you have an autistic child, strip away those shreds of guilt. Your child is what he or she is. End of story.
The findings will enable some families to get more precise genetic counselling, and that's good. When I debated whether to have Jake, my third child, doctors could only give me vague advice. I'm delighted I took the risk, but it's better to make such decisions armed with as much information as possible. I'm concerned, though, that the information will bolster the idea that autism is a disease that should be cured. Caring for autistic people is hard. Self-harm, destructive outbursts, intense anxiety, sleeplessness ... who wouldn't wish those away? But autism can also mean originality, creativity, an innocence ... Do I hope that early interventions can be devised to wipe the human race clean of autism? No, I do not.
What can I say?
As Charlotte Moore points out, parent should feel guilty for their autistic child, they rather have to feel happy for them. Her opinion about the link that is made with autism and genes is very normal because she has autistic children. I think other people would have another opinion, maybe a similar one but still different.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jun/10/autism-parents-view-genetics
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