I don't have an answer, just a comment on your speculation :)

I think that there is more to the answer than that. For a very long time non-verbal equated mental deficiency in the eyes of medical professionals. Adults deemed "low-functioning" were institutionalised or, at best, treated as large children by their families/doctors/caregivers. It was assumed that they would never be able to achieve anything remotely like a normal life...

That ideology has definitely changed in the last couple of years. Especially with the advent of electronic media that could and do assist a lot of non-verbal children and teenagers on the spectrum to communicate freely as well as the implementation of non-verbal IQ tests to assess a child's capability...

Our thinking and therefore our treatment of ASD is constantly evolving. I am hopeful of what the future holds.

@A MyAutismTeam Member

"So you are looking for non-ASD/aspergers parents of ASD kiddos?" No, the majority of parents out there are non-ASD and some have Asperger's and are parents of ASD kids.

"Or a parent with ASD that has typical children?" Sorry, again a no. I'm only referring to parents that do not Asperger's but a more severe case of autism and have kids whether the kids are on the spectrum or not doesn't matter to me.

My guess is that few people would be moderate to low functioning ASD and also be parents. Why?

1) The first cohort of ASD kids born when autism rates started to rise only started around 1992 and they started to get diagnosed around age 3 at the earliest. Those kids are now 24 years old at the most so many of them would not have kids yet but it's still possible.

2) There's a high rate of dependence for most people with ASD and most of them cannot live independently or hold a steady job based on the statistics out there. Difficult to raise a family under those conditions and probably not qualities that would attract a husband or wife.

3) This is just a comparison because I've never heard of autism reducing fertility. Only 3 males with Down Syndrome are known to have fathered kids in all of medical history. Only half of the Down Syndrome females are fertile.

No other response besides yours kind of confirmed what I was thinking. Thanks for giving it a shot.

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A MyAutis...

So you are looking for non-ASD/aspergers parents of ASD kiddos? Or a parent with ASD that has typical children?