Would a NT child raised by Aspies pick up Asperger Traits

Post Reply New Topic

Could a NT child raised by parents with Aspergers learn the aspie traits of the parents? I picked up a southern accent from my parents and an athiest outlook from them aswell. Could a NT child see the parents interacting with other people and pick up the parents lack of eye contact or nervousness around strangers? Could you imagine a child picking up you special intrest copying your drive to gather information on it? What are your views. Aspie parents, are any of you dealing with this now?

that's actually a good question

We need more aspies in the public school system.

I got a lot of traits from my mom, but even more from my school teachers.

I would say yes, though to an extent. to a superficial level. Whatever habits a child picks up will come from nurture rather than nature, obviously, due lack the genetic predisposition of the adoptive parents. For instance, a child may have a certain interest -- completely normal. Seeing as someone with Asperger's would sympathize with someone who has a special interest, the child may be encouraged to fully explore whatever interest that may be. I don't, however, believe a child can develop something such as the typical lack of eye contact, or impaired ability to carry out social interactions unless the child was predispositioned for it in the first place.

Would a straight child of gay parents become gay?

The thing about gay parents, and even deaf parents is the child can be different but completely understand both worlds and act as a bridge for the parents to the outside world.

When I was in speech thearpy as a child there was a sister and brother who had perfect hearing but picked up how their deaf parents talked. They had to really work on their annonciation. They were only there for a year.

You cannot compare that! they are 2 totally different things.

Agreed, A lot of asperger traits could be learned. I myself didn't have a lot of the ones I do prior to 7th or 8th grade.

I suppose that would occur until the child became socialized. I recall my psych textbook recounted a case where the child of a Chinese woman used a Chinese baby-talk word to ask for her bottle, but after going to day care with American kids, started using American baby-talk like her peers.

When you say traits perhaps they need separating into behaviours (what you do) and capabilities (what you can do). Perhaps the child would behave with AS traits but still be capable of understanding things such as social situations the parents might struggle with.

Well every NT has some aspie traits so I'd say yes.

Here's a case study for you. Dad is NT, Mum is AS. Sis is NT, I'm AS. Sis has some AS traits, like feeling somewhat awkward in social situations, and also troubles with eye contact, but these are learned behaviours so she doesn't have much trouble with them.

How can you be so sure that those traits are learned and not something she just had since birth?

I don't think that is the correct analogy with what the OP is asking. Surely it would be 'Would a straight child of gay parents pick up gay mannerisms?' Because it's not about 'becoming' Aspergers or gay, but about behaviours, which of course any child can pick up.

But then of course each person with Aspergers will behave differently, as will each gay person, so talk of behaviours could lead to stereotypes. But to give an example: say an NT child has a parent whose Aspergers traits include monotone voice, lining things up, and repeating the same phrase over and over. Those are behaviours that a child would naturally pick up. But then the more exposure the child has to different people, the less the child will be like the parent. But of course, if one of the Asperger traits of the parent was not to mix with other people, the child might have limited exposure to others and thus be more influenced by the mother. And that could have lasting neurological effects, if in formative years the child doesn't get exposure to a variety of people. For instance, studies show that children who aren't exposed to a variety of people in their early years don't develop facial recognition skills.

She can turn them off, in a sense. Like she doesn't really have them, just picked them up somewhere.

some traits are learned, some inherent.

learned things like certain stims, the way you talk, hand gestures, those your kids can pick up on.

inherent ones like eye contact, whether you smile as an infant, those your kids wont take on unless they have those traits naturally.

other things like meltdowns, any child may have those, and an NT child may pick them up from an asd child, the difference will be that the NT child can learn to control themselves better.

my SO is aspie and i am introverted, we are unsocial and never go out except as a family (park, grocery shopping, camping, etc). our middle child is a complete social butterfly. he makes friends the second he walks into a place and kids are drawn to him like flies to honey. we pick him up from school and between the pickup point in the cafeteria to the parking lot, and its a small school so a short walk maybe half a block long, hes got 8-10 kids calling out his name, banging on the bus windows, waving frantically to get his attention just to say goodbye. he definitely didnt learn that from his parents.