As far as we know today, most cases of autism or the related autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) are not like a typical inherited disease – where a damaged gene is responsible for causing the symptoms. The inherited aspects of autism are best understood as an increase in susceptibility. This means children with autism are born with genes that leave them more sensitive to damage inflicted by their surroundings. However, the fact that the incidence of autism (the number of people diagnosed or receiving treatment) has increased dramatically since the early 1980′s strongly suggests genetics alone cannot be responsible. Some say that the troubling increase in the rate of autism is just a result of better diagnosis. There may be some truth to this, but since 1956, there has been a pretty good set of criteria used to diagnose autism called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Although it has been improved over the years, it has not changed much since 1994 and the rate of autism diagnosis has only increased since then. As a parent of a child with autism, you should ask yourself if your child’s disease could have gone undiagnosed?
Archive for August, 2011
Autism Causes – Genetics and Environment
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Autism Causes, Symptoms and Treatments – Effective Strategies for Children on the Autistic Spectrum
No matter how you look at it, autism is complicated. It is best understood as a spectrum of related disorders because it encompasses a broad range of abilities and symptoms all sharing common traits such as difficulties with language and social interactions. The ASD umbrella includes people who have severe communication deficits and a total inability to cope with the world, to people who can live independently, but lack the breadth of interests and social skills we expect in adults.
Many people still believe ASD is an educational issue, a mental health disorder, or the result of bad parenting. Unfortunately, many medical professionals still do not accept that there are biochemical problems (flaws in the chemistry our bodies require to function normally) at the root of ASDs. The current standard of care for most ASD patients is prescription drugs to “manage” symptoms. This might make it easier for others to live with an ASD person, but it cannot be considered an effective treatment, as it doesn’t address the root causes of the disease. However, if you are open to understanding ASD as a set of unique biochemical problems and are willing to fight to make your child better, you will almost certainly succeed.
Tags: autism articles, autism causesRelated posts
Autism Causes Symptoms Information With Treatment
Autism (say: aw -tih-zum) causes kids to experience the world differently from the way most other kids do. Kids who have autism usually keep to themselves and many can’t communicate without special help. Although treatment has improved greatly in the past few decades, autism cannot be cured. It’s estimated that three to six of every 1,000 children have autism. It persists throughout life. Some believe this increase is largely due to changed diagnostic criteria and/or societal factors, while others think the reason is environmental.
Although the specific causes of autism are unknown, there is a large database of links between autism and genetic loci that span every chromosome. Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Some autistic children and adults are opposed to attempts to cure autism, because they see autism as part of who they are, and in some cases they perceive attempts of a cure to be intensive and unnatural.