Posted by Liz R on October 25, 2000 at 22:42:29:

In Reply to: autism and relationships posted by Armen on October 25, 2000 at 19:44:25:

There is thought to be a genetic predisposition to autism, but something in the environment triggers the disease. There are incidences of identical twins (approximately 20-40% of those studied) where only one twin has autism. This certainly means to me that it is not a birth defect.
Hopefully your friend will inform herself about the disease if she hasn't already, but just because he is autistic does not mean that their children will be also

: Hi, I have a queestion fror the wise. One of my friends is dating a man with autism. He is capable of having a life of his own. But I heard that autism is genetically inherited. If my friend were to get involved seriously, then I think she needs to discuss her future with this man and possibly having a family. How can I express my concern for her without sounding crass?