Family Members with Learning or Speech Issues

One interesting finding in our May 2007 Research Report was how many family members of children with ASDs in IAN Research have had some type of learning or speech issue.

You can read the report here:
http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research_reports/ian_research_report_may_2007

19% of fathers and 26% of brothers had received some kind of speech therapy, while 11% of mothers and 17% of daughters had.

What is your own experience regarding speech or learning issues in family members?

I have two older brothers and a younger brother and sister. My second brother, only two years older than me, was suspected mentally retarded when he was in the first grade. He didn't speak to anyone (he could, but didn't want to), he appeared deaf, he daydreamed during most of the school day and didn't do his homework. When he was tested, he was found to be way more advanced than his classmates and was recommended to skip a grade. He was also a big baby--12 pounds--and had a big head. He was always clumsy and smaller than the rest of us. He had an awful temper and often "sorted" and separated his food. Now, he speaks in a monotone, is blunt to the point of being rude, and walks around the house picking up pieces of lint off the floor. He was considered a mathematical wonder when he was in high school. He is now a civil engineer. I would bet my house that he has Asperger's.
My younger sister, in her mid-40's now, still has the immaturity of a 15-year-old. She has cognitive difficulties and memory difficulties. She often misunderstands people--one must use very concrete terms with her. She lacks common sense and is easily taken advantage of. She probably has had about 30 or more different menial jobs because she is impulsive and will quit at a moment's notice, or get mad at her boss and co-worker and tell them to take a leap. She has done this to doctors, nurses--almost anyone she has to deal with, and then can't figure out why no one wants to see her walk into their place of business. I would guess that if she were to be diagnosed, she might be PDD.
My husband has a cellular malformation in his brain. It is termed a "migration disorder"--a clump of malfunctioning brain cells in the left parietal lobe and bordering the left frontal lobe, which have caused severe epileptic seizures since he was 14. His language center has been divided around this lesion. Different parts of the brain all around this lesion serve for speech, language, memory, etc. They are not where they normally would be.
My husband does have--and always had--problems with language. Even as a child, he would get words mixed up and could not always conjugate irregular verbs correctly. His speech and language problems have gotten more severe since he's gotten older.
Strangely, I have an affinity for languages. I have always liked language and enjoyed grammar. I teach Spanish now and have a degree in German, as well. I have also studied Russian and am currently studying Italian.
Both of my sons have Asperger's and both are fluent in Spanish and English. My older son was speech and language delayed. He didn't speak in complete sentences until he was about 5 years old. However, he did invent his own jargon, which was very melodic and complicated, and complete with facial expressions and hand gestures. Everyone would look at me when he would speak because it really did sound like he was speaking another language, and they thought only I could understand it. Of course, I had no idea what he was saying. Curiously enough, I once repeated to him a "word" he used to repeat often, and he had a temper tantrum on the spot. He was about 3 years old then. I still have no understanding of what that might have been about.

My son is 18 months old. He has Autism with a sensory disorder. But he doesn't speak either we are currently learning sign language. We are very new to this and it's been a roller coaster ride for us. We have a lot of sleepless nights where he just screams and nothing will make him happy. It hurts me to see him this way and I feel so helpless. As far as his speech goes the doctors say he may never talk. To me that is unacceptable. We plan to work with him 24 7 if that is what it takes. Then someday I may hear those words I long to hear like mommy I love you!There is a picture of him and me in my profile he is so beautiful, and when you see him you wouldn't know there was anything wrong with him. I'm beginning to look at Autism as a gift as my son is such a special little boy. And I have 5 other boys but I didn't get to spend as much time with them. He has opened our eyes to a whole new world that we never new existed. And someday I will thank him for that. I have learned not to take for granted the little things in life or they will just pass you by! If anyone has any questions on my little guy feel free to ask I'd be happy to share our story with you!

Hi, 4 The Love Of Donavin, and welcome to IAN.

Working on speech and language is a major goal for so many families of young children on the spectrum. It is an area where much progress can often be made, as well.

If you are interested, you might want to take a look at our Treatment Report on Speech and Language Therapy. It describes what is involved in such therapy, and what IAN families have reported about their experiences: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research_reports/treatment_series_speech

Hi, I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I fostered a boy when he was 4 months old. His mother has an intellectual disability and his father adhd, learning disability and a later diagnosis of schizophrenia. My boy now 19 years old has multiple disabilities including a heart condition, mild cerebral palsy, scoliosis/kyphosis, mild intellectual disability and autistic spectrum disorder. His challenging behaviours mostly meltdowns and transition difficulties are his most disabling conditions. He has some recent episodes of hallucinations and delusions so we are watching carefully for early psychosis. I'm interested in the link between autism and schizophrenia.

Hi Punya, and welcome to IAN.

I'm so sorry to hear that your son is struggling with hallucinations in addition to his other issues. I know that can be very concerning, and it's good that you are keeping on eye on this, especially considering his family history. Being aware and ready to intervene is extremely important.

We have not yet collected data on psychosis and autism, per se, in IAN Research. We have asked if children, moms, or dads have ever been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and so far very few have.

In our own data, we have more often found a family history of mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder. (Bipolar disorder can also sometimes involve psychosis). You can read our report on preliminary findings based on the IAN Parental Depression History Questionnaire, here: http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research_reports/ian_research_report_oct_2008

Meanwhile, there are other researchers looking at both autism and schizophrenia. One interesting theory is that autism and schizophrenia are opposite social disorders. See "Psychosis and autism as diametrical disorders of the social brain": http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18578904?dopt=abstract

Other researchers are looking for the genetics behind psychiatric disorders, and hoping to make major strides. See "A framework for interpreting genome-wide association studies of psychiatric disorders": http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19002139?dopt=abstract

So far, we have had few answers about the origins and genetics of mental illness. We urgently need to better understand how these conditions arise, and how to intervene. There is so much human suffering involved, not to mention the cost to society.

I found the research to be very correct in the matter of our son. He has Autism with Dev. delays. His father had to have speech until the 4th grade. My son is very verbal now, it is like you turned on a switch since he has been receiving speech therapy twice a week since school started in August. He would always talk but it was short commands or one word. Now it is if he can say the Gettysburg Address! I am very thankful to god for this miracle. I can only wish the same for others.

MY OLDEST HAS AUTISM,HIS TWO YOUNGER BROTHERS BOTH HAVE SPEECH PROBLEMS.

Punya wrote:

Hi, I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I fostered a boy when he was 4 months old. His mother has an intellectual disability and his father adhd, learning disability and a later diagnosis of schizophrenia. My boy now 19 years old has multiple disabilities including a heart condition, mild cerebral palsy, scoliosis/kyphosis, mild intellectual disability and autistic spectrum disorder. His challenging behaviours mostly meltdowns and transition difficulties are his most disabling conditions. He has some recent episodes of hallucinations and delusions so we are watching carefully for early psychosis. I'm interested in the link between autism and schizophrenia.

I WOULD ACTUALLY BE INTERESTED IN THIS AS WELL. MY SON HAS AS,I BELIEVE I DO BUT REMAIN UNDIAGNOSED AND MY FATHER IS SCHIZOPHRENIC.