Goldman et al. JAMA. 1998;279(14):1100-1107. “Genetic studies have revealed up to 92% concordance in monozygotic twins and 33% in dizygotics,” referring to ADHD.
Gupta AR, State MW. Biol Psychiatry. 2007;61:429–437. also mention this for ASDs, but not in explanatory detail.
Freitag. Molecular Psychiatry. 2007;12:2–22. “In the four twin studies, pairwise
concordance rates in monozygotic (MZ) twins were in the range of 36–96%, and 0–30% in same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs, resulting in heritability estimates > 90%.”
So, it looks like the 90% figure is based on monozygotic twin studies.
Another reason why ADHD is considered part of the ASD spectrum:
McPartland et al. Adolesc Med. 2006;17:771-788. “Several other comorbid conditions have been reported. Hyperactivity and inattention are common among children with AS, and many children with the disorder often are initially misdiagnosed with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder.”
I have been told that ADHD will be listed as part of the autistic spectrum of disorders in the DSM-V when it comes out. As it is now in the DSM-IV-R, it is listed in the same section as Aspergers Syndrome, PDD, Autism and ODD.
Paul in Saudi I’m sorry about your news. My son Dweezil is an Aspie, diagnosed at age 3. He’s 13 now. Therapy has helped him immensely, and continues to help. (Vlad/Igor, my daughter has ADHD symptoms, although she doesn’t exactly fit ADHD criteria. Another anecdote for co-morbidity.)
Anyway Paul, don’t sweat it too much. You’re the same guy you were a week ago. Having a (possible) label might give you some insight into the way your mind works, and what areas you need to work on. You’ve demonstrated a willingness to pursue therapy. That shows a commitment to personal improvement that will serve you well. Even if the Asperger’s diagnosis stands up, don’t be afraid of the “incurable” part. You can learn to improve your social skills. That will help regardless of your ultimate diagnosis, and will help you even if you are never “cured”. There’s plenty of room for improving your life even without a “cure”.
I’m not sure what “cure” means anyway for something like Asperger’s. Mama Zappa and I have often said that if we had the chance of taking away Dweezil’s Autism at the risk of changing the good parts of his personality, we wouldn’t do it. He’s a great kid in so many ways, it’s wouldn’t be worth the risk.
In my non-professional opinion, psychological diagnosis is an art and a developing science, rather than well-established engineering. It’s also hard to apply diagnostic criteria for developmental disorders to adults, who have already developed. (As I recall, the DSM criteria for Autism and Asperger’s talk about delays in development of children relative to age peers.) I’m not saying you don’t have Asperger’s - I am a mere consumer of psychological services - but the diagnostic criteria for Adult Asperger’s may not be fully developed yet. Even though there are a lot of people who were Aspies before there was a DSM category, and have since grown up. I may be one of those people. Or I may just be a nerd.
To Skara_Brae and Happy Scrappy Hero Pup I want to say that Mama Zappa and I are trying very hard to ensure that our kids don’t view their issues as “get out of life free” cards. They’ve got to learn how to work with people, be nice, take care of themselves, have jobs, and function in the world. That’s why we’ve kept them in therapy and made sure they’ve gotten the special ed services they need. We want them to live up to their full potential, and not let their “issues” get in their way.
OK, so it refers to people who are a lot more closely related than even father-and-son. This means that if Kayeby ends up having a kid, the kid’s chances of having Asperger’s are higher than in the general population, but nowhere near 90%. Thank you!
Paul, it depends. When we knew something was up with my son, he was seeing a PhD psychologist, and the psychologist did do some preliminary testing. But, he was inexperienced with ASDs to begin with, and didn’t feel comfortable making a final diagnosis. We went to another Dr. who has done a lot of work in the field, and who did a more thorough work up, and gave us a more definitive, final diagnosis. The best advice still stands, and that is to find someone who has plenty of experience to give you a second opinion.
Nava, sometimes the vertical transmission is variable (as with Fragile X syndrome). So yes, the likelihood of a child inheriting a disorder fom a parent, or who has an affected uncle or grandparent is probably less than 90%, but still higher than chance.
Y’all keep the needling questions coming. I’ll be presenting in front of a room full of PhDs, and this is good prep for the questions they may ask.
Yeah, I was about 43 when a psychologist investigating possible ADHD in a nephew determined that I had AS (the doctor was looking for possible genetic links, as I understand it). It was about five years after that that I got an actual diagnosis. Prior to all of that, I was 28 when a teacher specializing in LD children first mentioned that I had all the criteria for LD, except my grades in school…nothing ever came of that, except that I found it amusing.
Paul in Saudi, I don’t know who’s qualified to diagnose. I assumed that the psychologists who diagnosed me were qualified. I’d like to offer encouragment, though. I mean, I’m 52 and have managed to get through life so far fairly well. I looked at that Wrong Planet website you referred to in your OP. From just a casual look, I’d say that you and I are muddling along pretty well in comparison to a lot of them. To me, life is great…that’s why I keep on fighting my *physical *medical problems.
AS has never been an excuse for me for anything in real life; when I was a kid I was just wierd, not disabled…and I was taught and expected to behave properly. I only agreed to get a real diagnosis after the doctor assured me that nobody would know. In fact, there are only seven people that I know are aware of my AS: my sisters, two friends and two psychologists.
Vlad/Igor, the psychologist who evaluated me mentioned that she hadn’t seen a lot of adult AS; she dealt mostly with children. Perhaps she was just trying to be encouraging, but she said I’d coped pretty well after telling me I was the worst case she’d seen at that time. I just think of it as my Popeye Philosophy: I yam what I yam. I’m ok with who I am, so I never went any further with it.
Continue to talk amongst yourselves. I have to get on a plane back to Jeddah. I will be back on the boards on Sunday (unless something statistically unimportant happens on Luftansa in the next few hours).