Brain Development In Children With Autism

of development, how we experience the world plays a role in our brain development. In recent

Experts disagree about what causes autism.2 Genetics appear to play an important role-autistic individuals have a series of documented brain structure abnormalities (see Grandin, 1995)--but environment is also important. Teasing apart the specific etiology of this disorder is difficult, because genetics and environment play off one another. For example, infants with a genetic predisposition to pull away from touch and refuse eye contact tend to receive less stimulation.2 Developmental deficiencies that result could therefore be attributed to either genetics or environment because their effects are intertwined.

Just as there is no duplicate case of autism, there is no one cause. Alternatively, there is a list of causes. Some of the most common include genetic mutation and predisposition as well as environmental factors. Some research shows that women can reduce the chance of their children being autistic by increasing folic acid intake before and following conception. Other research shows that “advanced paternal age can affect the child’s risk” of being

According to Shangraw (2012), there is no concrete etiology of autism because it is not diagnosed by its cause but on observed behaviors. The Autism-Society (n.d.) stated that a possibility for the cause of autism is the abnormalities in the brain structure or function. In an MRI research study by Piven et al. (1995), they found that an individual with autism spectrum disorder had a higher total brain volume and tissue compared to a person who is not on the autism spectrum disorder. Genetic problems and environmental factors can be a cause of autism spectrum disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic (2014). In genetic problems such as fragile X syndrome or Rett Syndrome, it can be associated with autism spectrum disorder. There is ongoing research regarding environmental factors and exploring ideas such as viral infections, pregnancy complications, and / or air pollutants to determine if they are active factors of autism spectrum disorder.

The CDC, NIH and Mayo Clinic state the causes of autism may be due to genetic factors and environmental factors. Some genes may

There are many disorders that affect how the brain works. Some of these disorders can stem from birth, while others appear later, almost at random throughout someone’s life. Autism seems to be a disorder that develops from birth, although most children are not officially diagnosed until they are about two or three years old. Why is this? One can infer that it very well may be that most children tend to begin speaking at two years of age— linking the disorder with communication. Overall, Autism is a very elaborate developmental disorder. It is a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s normal function; this further affects the development of one’s communication skills, such as talking (Nordqvist, 2008). Although there is no official cause that directly leads to having Autism, there are many theories. Researches have various ideas pending about what may cause this disorder. Some suggest that different genes, when combined together perfectly, create and develop Autism (Dryden-Edwards, 2014). Others simply propose that outside factors such as environmental pollution, emotional trauma, or vaccines can spark Autism in an infant (Dryden-Edwards, 2014). The bottom line is that one just cannot be sure of what causes such a condition. Because a developmental disorder like Autism is so complex, there are a wide array of symptoms that go along with it. A few of these symptoms include: a

Abstract: Autism is a brain development disorder that is found in children usually before the age of three. Autism affects children and their “social interactions, impaired communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior.” (www.wikipedia.org) The number of children that have been diagnosed with autism is dramatically increasing. Boys are four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism. Signs of autism include visual impairments such as lack of eye contact, speech impairments and limited speech, and restrictive interests and repetitive behavior. Treatment for children with autism includes therapy including

Although autism has spread globally, scientists continue conducting research to identify the precise causes. More specifically, they are zeroing in on genetic mutations, brain chemistry abnormalities, and maternal factors. One possible cause that can lead to autism is genetic mutations. First of all, families studies indicate that children can affected by autism through heredity. It is true that children inherited some characteristics from their parents. This is because a chromosome of a child produced by one chromosome father and the other one from mother, which formed as DNA. As a matter of fact, if parents have some genetic disease, they can pass it to the offspring through DNA. In same way, because autism is a genetic disorder, it can pass down generation. In fact, according to Cowley (2000), the prevalence of having autistic child is 5% of family who already has this disorder, which means around 25 times the normal average. Clearly, inheriting autism through families result in increasing the number of autistic children in the population. Another evidence shows that autism can caused by inheriting genetic disorder is through conducting twins studies. There are two types of twins. First one is identical twins, which formed by splitting one fertilized egg and then developed in two babies. Therefore, they are sharing the same genetic codes. However, this different from fraternal twins who do not share the same genetic information because they are formed by two

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental that includes disordersocial impairments, difficulty in communicating verbally and nonverbally, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Autism was first diagnosed in the early 1940’s. Signs of Autism and diagnosis usually occur before the child becomes 3 years of age. Autism occurs in children about 1–2 per 1,000 people worldwide. It is diagnosed more in children that are boys rather than girls. The number of children diagnosed with Autism has drastically increased since the 1980’s with still, no known cause. Although, some scientists have come up with the theory that Autism may be hereditary or environmental causes.

Genes and biological processes are involved in multiple ways in the development and core features of autism. Research shows that genes do play a large role in cases of autism. Researchers have discovered that many genes work together to develop autism. More research is needed to see the exact genes are to make a child have autism, though they have found specific genes for some types of autism. Our technology is just not efficient enough to find them all quite yet.

For many years, autism has taken control of the minds of many men, women and children causing large amounts of distress while having extraordinary lifestyles. Many factors contribute to the overall basis of what autism actually is, and it is with numerous tests and research that have led scientists to uncover the actual reasons as to why autism is so common. Some of these factors include the anatomy, physiology, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. After getting an understanding of what these components are, understanding autism can be much easier, and the ability to recognize the signs will be much more assuring.

Despite its 50 year-old diagnosis, autism is still one of the mostly commonly contracted and rarely treated childhood diseases. Studies suggest that as many as 1 in 500 children may display autistic symptoms. Manifestations of this disability include the stereotypical physical contortions and hand-flapping motions commonly associated with autism, as well as inability to relate to the outside world, limited social skills, lack of concentration, and hypersensitivity to certain stimuli-particularly noise (1). Perceived causes include poor fetal development, genetics, allergies, and a lack of crucial enzymes. Because for many years the disorder was thought to be a result of poor

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the third most common developmental disorder after mental retardation and cerebral palsy. The first discovery of autism occurred in the early 1940’s by a child psychiatrist named, Leo Kanner (Miller, 2001). The disorder decreases the ability for a person to socially interact and properly communicate. This may be due to abnormalities in brain functioning from neurological derangement (Miller, 2001). There is no one single factor that causes autism but brain structure and function tends to be the accepted reason. There have been theories that suggest that the cause is a genetic factor, but there has not been a single gene detected is causing autism. When scientists could not find a biological cause, psychiatrists’

The precise cause of autism remains undefined. Many scientist and researchers suggest that autism is the result of disruptions in normal brain growth very early in development, before birth. The disruption may be the result of flaws in genes that control brain development and direct how brain cells communicate with each other. The development of the ventricles also play a part in the functioning and areas affected in the brain of the affected. Thanks to MRI scans doctors can take a look at a brain affected/diagnosed with autism and a normal brain, to compare and determine the area of the

It is alarming to see how many are diagnosed with autism each year. In order to reduce the number of children affected by this disorder, we need to first understand what causes it. Researchers have been working diligently over the years, but the exact mechanism of what causes autism is still unknown. The extensive research has been able to rule out factors that do not contribute to autism and has made advancements in possible causative factors. As of right now, it appears that the source is possibly multi-factorial, just like the disorder. Theories that are believed to be a part of the cause include genetic, environmental, maternal age, viruses, toxins, and medical conditions.