So I've been thinking a lot about guilt and autism lately. Who's fault is it? If it's an X-chromosome disorder, does that get me off the hook? Should I care, and more importantly, should I even be asking the question?
When wearing my Dad hat, I find it's easy to try and place the blame elsewhere. It feels good to me to rid myself of guilt. But as I point my finger I remember the addage that those who point have three fingers pointing right back at them. What good is it for either my marriage or our son's well-being to think of ASD in these terms? And so I come back to feeling the question should remain right under the very rock that I overturned to get at it in the first place.
However, switching to my scientist sombrero, I think it's an important and essential question to ask. Determining maternal or paternal responsibility will help determine the mechanism, assuming, as I do, there is a genetic component to ASD.
So I'll be exploring the ins and outs and what-have-yous of both the current state of autism research and life as a parent of a child on the spectrum. If you enjoy this blog, great. If not, enjoy life elsewhere.
-BC
posted by Bartholomew Cubbins @ 6/27/2005 12:57:00 PM
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2 Comments:
I've thought about this as well, esp. as others in the family started looking for symptoms in everyone on the 'other side' (although my daughter is the only one in either family with a diagnosis).
Where I landed was that regardless of who may have been the genetic "carrier" (and who is to say that we did not both contribute the genes that are linked to autism?), the 'other' set of genetic material did not provide the means to shield my daughter from the disorder. So, the point is moot, and discussing it does nothing to help my daughter or change her prognosis.
My thoughts exactly, although distilled and written much better.
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