Hi Karen,

I don’t think that CAH would have caused the autism.  However, it certainly has the ability to affect the behaviour of a child if they are late diagnosed in the ADD/ADHD sense.  So for example if your had a child with autism and CAH, this may make your work as a parent much more difficult as the child is being exposed to large amounts of androgens and a lack of cortisol.  All of which affect the mood---autistic or not.  I think once they get the levels balanced, your life should be a little easier that’s for sure if the child has been displaying symptoms of ADD or ADHD.  I am not really sure how autism comes about, but most of the time it is something that has occured since birth--and has been linked to difficult births or difficult pregnancy hasn’t it?