physical markers in autism

[Guest guest]

My son Lawrence (12.5 yo, nonverbal, autistic) has been

exceptionally beautiful from birth, like so many of our

children. Angel-like face (the type of the face of Rick

Rollens,s son on the Newsweek cover), long eyelashes, blue

eyes, BEAUTIFUL ears (not long at all, and in the right

place!), beautiful skin, etc. etc. (But he is a picky eater

and quite thin now.)

One interesting thing: he was perfect and beautiful on the day

of his birth too (caesarian baby). I was holding him in my

arms for a long time when I first saw him, and he was just

wonderful. The most perfect baby in my room where there were 2

other young mothers with newborn babies... He was big too,

4330 g.

I noticed one little speciality on his face, though, which was

very strange. The muscles in his lower lip seemed to be

very *loose*, and it gave a very strange assimetry to his

lips, as he was asleep there, lying on his side. It almost

seemed to be a physical handicap, and I remember deciding that

I will love him in spite of this handicap...

Later, when he was awake, it was not so characteristic any

more, but I saw this strange *tonelessness* of the lower lip

many times when he was asleep.

Now it occures to me: could it be an early sign of apraxia of

the mouth? (Remember, he is nonverbal. Still, he had

pronounced 3 2-word sentences in his life, with absolutely

perfect pronunciation...) If so, can it be one cause of his

not being able to speak?

Have any of you noticed this with your autistic child? If yes,

is that child nonverbal?

Just very curious.

Agnes in Hungary

Ackerman wrote:

> List buddies:

>

> We have the beautiful lips, beautiful blue eyes and the blond hair.

> Jeff is going to be a lady killer (in about 12 years - he is 3 ½ now!)

> He looks A LOT like the Newsweek cover - Rick Rollins (MIND Institute's son)

>

> At the last two conferences in California - I spoke to a lot of moms - saw a

> lot of kidlet pictures - they are some darn cute kids out there (and I do

> not compliment unless it is necessary!!) A lot of blond, blue / green eyed

> - autistic kids that do not look autistic. VERY interesting....

> Ears - normal on Jeff (they are not bigger, hang lower like I have seen

> before)

>

> Interesting.

>

> A (Jeffs Mom)

>

[Guest guest]

In our county in Florida there are at least 3 black children that I know of

that are autistic.

[Guest guest]

we had some AGRE testing te other day....they were remarking that the heel

protrudes back farther than average...anyone else ever hear this?

[Guest guest]

we had some AGRE testing te other day....they were remarking that the heel

protrudes back farther than average...anyone else ever hear this?

[Guest guest]

we had some AGRE testing te other day....they were remarking that the heel

protrudes back farther than average...anyone else ever hear this?

[Guest guest]

there are at leat 3 black children with autism in my chapter....at least two

latin american as well

[Guest guest]

there are at leat 3 black children with autism in my chapter....at least two

latin american as well

[Guest guest]

there are at leat 3 black children with autism in my chapter....at least two

latin american as well

[Guest guest]

Well of all the autistic children I have met since getting my son's

Dx

in April, all of them are actually dark haired and dark eyed, except

that is for my son who is as you mentioned is blond and blue eyed.

He

is thee spitting image of my husband at that age, almost erie infact

how how much our son looks like my husband.

> This is just thinking out loud here, but as most new research

indicates,

> autism is a disease of the immune system. Blonde haired,

blue-eyed,

fair

> skinned children have less melanin (pigment) in their bodies.

Could

there

> be some connection between less melanin and a weaker immune system?

I mean

> isn't the stereotyped sickly person pale and lean? Perhaps the

blonde hair,

> blue eyes etc are merely another result of the genetic

predisposition (and

> of course, hair/eye color genes passed on by parents)of a weaker

immune

> system and susceptibility to autism. (when attacked by the mmr

vaccine)

> Pat

[Guest guest]

Evan has autism but he never has been the stereotyped sickly person pale and

lean. He has ash blonde hair and blue eyes but that runs in our family.

He is the only blue eyed, blonde in his classroom. He plays outside so much

without his shirt that he is almost brown. Most of the children in his

school are Mexican-American but there are children from all racial

backgrounds at his school.

Our area is very multi-racial for a small community. Truly the fabled

American melting pot.

--Betty

[Guest guest]

Re: RE: Physical Markers in Autism

> This is just thinking out loud here, but as most new research indicates,

> autism is a disease of the immune system. Blonde haired, blue-eyed, fair

> skinned children have less melanin (pigment) in their bodies. Could there

> be some connection between less melanin and a weaker immune system? I

mean

> isn't the stereotyped sickly person pale and lean? Perhaps the blonde

hair,

> blue eyes etc are merely another result of the genetic predisposition (and

> of course, hair/eye color genes passed on by parents)of a weaker immune

> system and susceptibility to autism. (when attacked by the mmr vaccine)

> Pat

My daughter has brown eyes and brown hair. I know one other child who

is autistic, and she has black hair and very dark brown eyes. The first

autistic child I knew had brown hair and eyes.

I don't think there's any relationship here.

Margaret

[Guest guest]

Re: RE: Physical Markers in Autism

> This is just thinking out loud here, but as most new research indicates,

> autism is a disease of the immune system. Blonde haired, blue-eyed, fair

> skinned children have less melanin (pigment) in their bodies. Could there

> be some connection between less melanin and a weaker immune system? I

mean

> isn't the stereotyped sickly person pale and lean? Perhaps the blonde

hair,

> blue eyes etc are merely another result of the genetic predisposition (and

> of course, hair/eye color genes passed on by parents)of a weaker immune

> system and susceptibility to autism. (when attacked by the mmr vaccine)

> Pat

My daughter has brown eyes and brown hair. I know one other child who

is autistic, and she has black hair and very dark brown eyes. The first

autistic child I knew had brown hair and eyes.

I don't think there's any relationship here.

Margaret

[Guest guest]

> Hello, Please don't take this the wrong way, I was just very

curious...I

> also have a beautiful, handsome, blue eyed, brown haired boy. All

but one of

> the autistic kids I have met (over a dozen) or seen in articles has

been

> caucasion. The reports say that autism is prevalent in all races

and

> cultures, yet I have only met one other child (who is black) who

was

> autistic. Do you think it is more prevalent in caucasions than

other races?

> Just curious....

My son is blonde and blue eyed (daddy's coloring, but looks could be

me when I was his age)!!!! When I was getting my masters in special

ed, I remember my professor telling us that kids with autism have

that " angel face " look. We also get lots of compliments on how

beautiful is. As for race...the class I am teaching now is kids

with developmental delays and I do have one child who has autism, and

he is black. He has an incredible personality....what a little ham!

I just love him!!!!

Tricia (Mommy to (2.5) and special ed. teacher in NY)

[Guest guest]

> Hello, Please don't take this the wrong way, I was just very

curious...I

> also have a beautiful, handsome, blue eyed, brown haired boy. All

but one of

> the autistic kids I have met (over a dozen) or seen in articles has

been

> caucasion. The reports say that autism is prevalent in all races

and

> cultures, yet I have only met one other child (who is black) who

was

> autistic. Do you think it is more prevalent in caucasions than

other races?

> Just curious....

My son is blonde and blue eyed (daddy's coloring, but looks could be

me when I was his age)!!!! When I was getting my masters in special

ed, I remember my professor telling us that kids with autism have

that " angel face " look. We also get lots of compliments on how

beautiful is. As for race...the class I am teaching now is kids

with developmental delays and I do have one child who has autism, and

he is black. He has an incredible personality....what a little ham!

I just love him!!!!

Tricia (Mommy to (2.5) and special ed. teacher in NY)

[Guest guest]

I'm not saying that I think autistic people are sickly and pale, I was just

wondering about the possibility of a weaker immune system in people with

fair skin and blonde hair. That doesn't mean that Hispanics or

African-Americans can't be autistic. Actually, since I first heard about

the blonde haired blue-eyed typical autistic child, I've thought that it had

to be some type of statistical anomaly. The only logical connection I could

come up with is the immune deficiency.

BTW my son is blonde haired, fair skinned, blue eyed and, by all accounts,

darned good looking. However, I have light red/ strawberry blonde hair and

green/brown eyes, my wife is ash blonde with blue eyes and both of us are

fair skinned. So, it is such a stretch that we would have a blonde haired

blue eyed, fair-skinned child?

Pat

[Guest guest]

>Has anyone child got a birthmark called (not sure of the spelling)

>cafe-alote? It's usually very light brown, like coffee with cream

Oddly, my son has - not cafe au lait - but an unpigmented white spot (called

hypopigmented) on his torso. This scared me into thinking he might have

tuberous sclerosis when we were in the very early stages of research into

what was wrong with him. Fortunately an MRI ruled that out. Nobody else in

our family has a hypopigmented spot.

[Guest guest]

Blonde haired, blue-eyed, fair skinned children have less melanin (pigment)

in their bodies. Could there be some connection between less melanin and a

weaker immune system? I mean isn't the stereotyped sickly person pale and

lean? Perhaps the blonde hair, blue eyes etc are merely another result of

the genetic predisposition ........

Hi

Both my husband and I are dark(er) skin and dark brown hair and eyes - our

autistic son is very light brown hair, dark brown eyes and yes - very good

looking and photogenic. I don't know about the ears - I'll have to check

later. But strangely, he physically resembles my husband (exactly same

chest, shoulders, legs, butt etc), but has my ears and facial features.

[Guest guest]

Blonde haired, blue-eyed, fair skinned children have less melanin (pigment)

in their bodies. Could there be some connection between less melanin and a

weaker immune system? I mean isn't the stereotyped sickly person pale and

lean? Perhaps the blonde hair, blue eyes etc are merely another result of

the genetic predisposition ........

Hi

Both my husband and I are dark(er) skin and dark brown hair and eyes - our

autistic son is very light brown hair, dark brown eyes and yes - very good

looking and photogenic. I don't know about the ears - I'll have to check

later. But strangely, he physically resembles my husband (exactly same

chest, shoulders, legs, butt etc), but has my ears and facial features.

[Guest guest]

Blonde haired, blue-eyed, fair skinned children have less melanin (pigment)

in their bodies. Could there be some connection between less melanin and a

weaker immune system? I mean isn't the stereotyped sickly person pale and

lean? Perhaps the blonde hair, blue eyes etc are merely another result of

the genetic predisposition ........

Hi

Both my husband and I are dark(er) skin and dark brown hair and eyes - our

autistic son is very light brown hair, dark brown eyes and yes - very good

looking and photogenic. I don't know about the ears - I'll have to check

later. But strangely, he physically resembles my husband (exactly same

chest, shoulders, legs, butt etc), but has my ears and facial features.

[Guest guest]

I've seen autistic children who are not necessarily all that beautiful,

but have a beatific expression about them. They really do look

otherworldly and angelic.

('s mom)

[Guest guest]

I've seen autistic children who are not necessarily all that beautiful,

but have a beatific expression about them. They really do look

otherworldly and angelic.

('s mom)

[Guest guest]

I've seen autistic children who are not necessarily all that beautiful,

but have a beatific expression about them. They really do look

otherworldly and angelic.

('s mom)