title: Autism families with a high incidence of alcoholism.
abstract: To determine the significance of neuropsychiatric disorders in autism families, we analyzed 167 pedigrees ascertained through an autistic child; 39% had alcoholism in patterns consistent with transmission of a genetic trait. Children from high alcoholism families were more likely to have the onset of their autistic behavior occur with a loss of language (52.5% vs. 35.8%, p = 0.04). This occurred primarily in families where the mother was alcoholic (80% vs. 40%, p = 0.05), suggesting an association between maternal alcoholism and regressive onset autism. Children from high alcoholism families were less likely to be macrocephalic (14.7% vs. 40.6%, p = 0.0006). Children from high alcohol and low alcohol families did not differ in dysmorphology status, IQ, sex ratio or sib recurrence risk.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Genetics, University of Missouri Hospitals and Clinics, #1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA. milesjh@missouri.edu
authors.forename: Judith H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.forename: T Nicole
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haber
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hadden
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics*; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000235:genetics*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007360:Intelligence / Q000235:genetics; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D011247:Pregnancy; D012043:Regression, Psychology; D018570:Risk Assessment