My Daughter and I were Diagnosed with Autism on the Same Day
Jennifer Malia with her daughter Molly
Even though, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 in 54 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, there was an unusual case that involved a mother and her daughter being diagnosed with autism the same day in Syracuse, New York.
It all started when Jennifer Malia noticed concern behaviors on her 2-year-old daughter Holly. She did not smile a lot, had a speech delay, emotional outbursts, and obsessions with colors. Malia was a tenured professor at Norfolk State University in Virginia who seemed to have it all, but she and her family were actually dealing with a lot of challenges. "A lot of people think why is that something you would want to share with so many people? Well for me it was life-changing”, says Malia to Megan Coleman from CNYCentral.
When Jennifer Malia started to understand and learn more about her daughter’s challenges, she started noticing something about herself. "What I ended up doing was doing lots of research and discovered that not only did I need to advocate to get a diagnosis for her for autism spectrum disorder but that I too was on the spectrum," Malia said to Coleman.
The same day her daughter was diagnosed with autism, she was also diagnosed at age 39. When Jen was a child, she always felt and knew she was different. She remembers that she felt very uncomfortable in social situation and didn’t talk so much. And while you may think this story sounds rare, Jen is not alone. "I think people are self-diagnosing quite a bit," said Dr. Henry Roane, a professor of Pediatrics who runs the Center for Development, Behavior, and Genetics at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital.
Dr. Roane talks about a study that shows there is a strong genetic component to autism. “If a mother has the disorder, their child has a 50% greater chance of having autism too. If both parents have autism, the child is 80 to 90-percent as likely to have the disorder. We have seen some examples of parents who will tell us that they have autism and that their child has autism," Dr. Roane said to Megan Coleman from CNYCentral.
The Golisano Foundation made a $3 million investment so that Syracuse will soon be a home to a new center for special needs in Golisano Center Hospital, to care and help people with autism and to increase diagnostic services and decrease wait times to get treatment. "I'll be huge. Our program will be one of just a few in the country that are really able to do these kinds of services," said Dr. Roane to Coleman.
For the Malia family, autism is now just part of their lives. It is a disorder that has impacted Jennifer, her daughter Holly and now her younger son Nick. Jennifer wrote a book to help other families called new children's book called "Too Sticky. She has decided to go public with her story to help others, calling her diagnosis a relief. "It was something that really made a difference in my life to know that I was on the autism spectrum," Malia said to Coleman.
Dr. Roane explains to Megan Coleman how nobody knows what causes autism, but we know genetics and environment play a part. You can be diagnosed as early as 2-years-old, and early diagnosis is key. If you have concerns about yourself or your child, you can contact our Autism Help Hotline for more resources.