What is Autism? 2/12/16

Hello everyone!

This week I took the time to research about autism: its biological definition, causes, symptoms, etc.

When one asks, “What is Autism?” a vague answer of some sort of a brain disorder might come up.  The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that impairs social interaction, communication, and speech skills. There hasn’t been an answer to what causes autism; however, scientists have found some gene mutations related to autistic symptoms. Nevertheless, the cause is rarely because of the gene mutations, but rather the combination of these gene mutations and environmental factors that are related to the earlier stages of brain development.

These environmental factors are closely related to events happening in short time periods before and during birth. Some factors include advanced parental age for both parents, illness during pregnancy, premature birth, difficulties during birth, especially in cases where the baby brain is deprived of oxygen. Other research states that mothers exposed to pesticides and air pollution have a higher chance of having a child with ASD. Nevertheless, there is still not a definite answer to what causes autism.

Children with autism can easily become categorized: verbal, nonverbal, high-functioning, low-functioning. However, every individual on this spectrum is a unique case. Many people with autism possess a special ability in art, music, academics. About 40 percent have an intellectual disability, or an IQ less than 70. 25 percent of these individuals are nonverbal and use other means of communicating, such as Assistive Technology. When treating any person with autism, every case is different and one method of treatment might work for one, but not the other.

There are some common symptoms among these individuals, such as scripting and self-talk. Scripting is when he or she repeats lines from cartoons or movies and self-talk is when he or she talks himself or herself through a thought process out loud. In that sense, we all talk to ourselves on some level. Some symptoms shown at a younger age are lack of eye-contact and no speech.

In every case I read, each parent who received the news from a doctor saying his or her child has autism said the earlier you can get the diagnosis, the faster you can find treatment for your child. In this day and age, we are finding more answers to this mysterious brain disorder and I will keep you all posted!

Talk to you soon!

Grace