Is your child on the Autism Spectrum?

Options
JennKeisner
JennKeisner Member Posts: 33
edited June 2014 in Young With Breast Cancer

I was diagnosed when my daughter was 8 months old. Since then she has been diagnosed with PDDNOS (on the autism spectrum). My sister has always thought that her diagnosis was due to my cancer. Now I heard that Tony Braxton has breast cancer and her son also is autistic. I was just wondering if there were any others of us who have an autistic child.

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • sam52
    sam52 Member Posts: 950
    edited August 2007
    Yes! My son has Aspergers Syndrome.
    I know there are a couple of other guys with ASD children. I think NoSurrender is one of them. It does seem to be more common than could be put down to mere coincidence......my theory is that all the stress of looking after someone with this disorder contributes to getting bc. (Definitely not the other way round).
    My son is now 23 (he was nearly 18 when I was dx with bc)and it has been quite a struggle looking after him (especially as I am a single parent).
    I will be interested to see who else checks in here.

    Sam
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nikiwatkis
    nikiwatkis Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2007
    Hiya, I'm new to this forum and am interested in your comments here. I too am a breast cancer patient with an autistic child, he has asperger syndrome. Has any research every been carried out looking at links??
    nik
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sam52
    sam52 Member Posts: 950
    edited August 2007

    Bumping......

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Motherbeartosix
    Motherbeartosix Member Posts: 101
    edited August 2007
    I'm not as young as most of you (I'm fifty), but I have two special needs children who are often mistaken for having autism. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. No one seems to understand the stresses of having a special needs child (if only just from the worrying ), and adding cancer on top of that is more than any person should have to go through. I'm fortunate that my special needs' kids have four older siblings, but it doesn't keep me from worrying one bit about their future.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • nosurrender
    nosurrender Member Posts: 2,019
    edited August 2007
    Hi Sam,
    I wish I did have children, but unfortunately I do not.
    I did post awhile ago about a new promising study about AS for a member here. I will see if I can find it for you.
    hugs,
    g
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Methusala
    Methusala Member Posts: 285
    edited September 2007
    My child is AS, ADHD, and OCD. AS, aspberger's, was first PPDNOS, but now AS.
    He was 'different' from birth. He's now 5, and my BC was just diagnosed in June. I see no connection.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • roxy42
    roxy42 Member Posts: 495
    edited September 2007

    Hi I was dx with breast cancer june 19th,and I have a 4 year old daughter with autism,Its hard some times dealing with the stress of Autism and now a breast cancer Dx,Staying positive will help.Take care have a great week....Roxy

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RoseMarie
    RoseMarie Member Posts: 502
    edited September 2007

    I also have a special needs child. Don't really think there's any link to her disabilities and my cancer but the stress factor is an interesting theory.  She was diagnosed at 4 months with Infantile Spasms (a seizure disorder) She is now almost 11. She was almost 9 when I was diagnosed with bc.  She is "mildly mentally impaired" but after much reading/research I also thought she had a PDD - no one else seems to think so, though. Good luck ladies!!!!!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • JustTurnedForty
    JustTurnedForty Member Posts: 289
    edited September 2007

    I have a 10 year old daughter with Asperger's Syndrome.  This is an interesting topic.  It does seem strange to me that my 2 sisters & Mom don't have any signs of breast cancer & also have neurotypical children.  It wouldn't suprise me if there is a connection.  The stress of a special needs child is incredible.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Chicklitzz
    Chicklitzz Member Posts: 6
    edited September 2007

    I also have a Asperger's boy, little genius that he is. I had no other factors  that brought me here, not genetic, non smoker,non drinker. Just lucky I guess. I still wonder if the two aren't connected in some way.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kerri
    Kerri Member Posts: 22
    edited October 2007

    I have a son who's 7yrs. old with high functioning autism spectrum disorder. I agree that stress is a big contributer to bc and having a child with autism is an extra stress. He is very close to my mum and both her and I were diagnosed with bc since June this year. While our time in hospital when we had our lumpectomies didn't bother him, the change in routine with mum starting her radiation and not being able to spent the usual time with him is proving difficult for him to cope with. We are currently at the end of the school holidays and he hasn't been able to do very much with mum, which is putting that extra strain on me as I'm now on hormone implant injections which I'm getting side effects from. So I can't rest as I need to. But I never heard of a connection between cancer and autism. But that's not to say there isn't a connection. Hope that all makes sense.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Methusala
    Methusala Member Posts: 285
    edited October 2007

    um... some of you really think that stress causes/ or 'contributes' to breast cancer?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • yowyow
    yowyow Member Posts: 69
    edited October 2007

    my 7 year old son was dx mild aspergers when he was 5

    I was dx with BC 6 months later

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • sam52
    sam52 Member Posts: 950
    edited October 2007

    Yes....I  do think there a correlation between stress and bc; long-term stress is known to suppress the immune system.

    Not the kind of 'stress' that people say they experience from a demanding job, or moving house - the kind of unrelenting stress that only those with a special needs child understand, where there is no respite, and the situation cannot be magically 'changed', as it continues year after stressful year.Where every time you are knocked down, you have to pick youself up again, even when you are on your knees.

    Nosurrender...sorry, I thought it was youwith an ASD child. Maybe I was thinking of Memberof the Club. I know it was a catchy screen name!

    Motherbear......I am older too (56); as I am a single parent I really worry about the future for my son.

    Being the parent of an ASD child with bc on top is really hard.

    Sam

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • DGHoff
    DGHoff Member Posts: 624
    edited October 2007

    Happened to see this thread and it caught my eye because my son was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum in early March. I was diagnosed in June. Of course, I had fibroid lumps for almost three years before that and was always told not to worry about them and that it was just fibrocystic tissue. 

    My son is very high-functioning and most people wouldn't ever guess that he had any issues, but it was very stressful at the time of his diagnosis. I also got into a car accident the day that his preschool teacher suggested he might have a problem and we should get him tested. Hmm. Maybe there is something to the whole stress thing as that was the beginning of a very stressful few months. I found that the lumps grew increasinging painful and started to get larger which is why I went to have them checked out again. Very interesting to consider. Stress does kick your hormones into high gear and my cancer was very ER positive. 

    DeAnn  

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories