Autism is a developmental delay in children with symptoms like speech problems (difficulties),…

Autism is a developmental delay in children with symptoms like speech problems (difficulties), sluggishness, isolation, fear, lack of eye contact etc. Autistic children do not have brain developments as ordinary children and always behave like younger children. Even though they may have sufficient physical growth they would lack the corresponding mental and intellectual growth.

Autistic children are also highly likely to show symptoms of Epilepsy, Fragile X syndrome (that causes mental retardation), Tourette’s syndrome and Tuberous sclerosis (in which tumors grow in the brain). There is various other behavioral syndromes for autism (Samson, 2002). They are repetitive behavior such as rocking, disordered speech, abnormalities of language and thinking skills, strange or unexpected responses to sensations, objects, people, objects, events. Autistic children may also resort to physical attack (towards others) or self-injury (Warren, 1986).

The causes of Autism are still not known. Autism is still a mystery for the medical field. Autistic children are often born to healthy parents who do not have any family medical history of having autism. The specific cause of Autism is unknown and therefore no precaution or treatment can assure that the new born baby would be autistic (Wing, 1996). It is also extremely unfortunate that pre-birth scanning is not detecting this syndrome and often it is impossible to detect an autistic baby soon after its birth.

Autism is believed to a psychiatric disorder by some medical experts when some others have considered it as the consequence of certain bio-chemical processes (Wing, 1996). Some experts have come up with the conclusion that wrong foods, environmental toxins, medicines, and heavy antibiotics can damage the colon in a baby making him behavioral and physically weak or autistic (Warren, 1986). Autistic children are also found to have abnormalities in several regions of the brain.

Certain gene defects are also found to be associated with autism. However no medical expert has recommended any kind of surgery that would eliminate this disorder and save the child from disorder (Warren, 1986). Parents of autistic babies just get disappointed and consider it as their fate. However, it is found that families having an autistic child have a five percent chance of having a similar second child. Families having members with mild impairments in social and communication skills (or displaying repetitive behaviors) are also likely to have a new born with autistic disorders (Rimland, 1965).

A group of experts have come up with the idea that vaccines cause autism, for example the vaccines of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR). According to them, vaccines that contain thimerosal (thimerosal is a preservative that slightly contains) is also responsible for the brain damage in autistic children. However studies and experiences have proved that there is no extensive relation between vaccines and autism (Rimland, 1965).

No theory has been successful enough to convince people about the cause of autism (Samson, 2002). There can be several reasons, of which few of them may be unnoticed or unexpected. Researchers however have concluded that biological reasons contribute to autism rather than psychological problems (Warren, 1986). They are against the concept that parents cause autism in children. Bernard Rimland on his book Infantile Autism (1965) has come up with few causes and concepts of Autism. He has formulated that
Parents who do fit the description of the supposedly pathogenic parent almost invariably have normal, non-autistic children (Rimland, 1965).
Some clearly autistic children are born to parents who do not fit the autistic parent personality pattern (Rimland, 1965).
There is a consistent ratio of three or four boys to one girl (Rimland, 1965).
With very few exceptions, the siblings of autistic children are normal (Rimland, 1965).
Virtually all cases of twins reported in the literature have been identical, with both twins afflicted (Rimland, 1965).
Autistic children are behaviorally unusual “from the moment of birth.”
The symptomatology is highly unique and specific (Rimland, 1965).
Autism can occur or be closely simulated in children with known organic brain damage (Rimland, 1965).
There is an absence of gradations of infantile autism which would create “blends” from normal to severely afflicted (Rimland, 1965) (Rimland, 1965).

Doctors are still not sure about the neurological differences between the brains of normal people and autistic people (Samson, 2002). However, MRI scans, PET scans and autopsies have proved that there are subtle cellular changes in the brain of autistic people. Seizers (nearly thirty percent of the seizers are formed during adolescence) are also found to be associated with the neurological differences (Wing, 1996). Researches have come up with few specific theories associated with the causes of autistic symptoms.

For example, intolerance to specific food substances, Gluten intolerance (‘Leaky Gut Syndrome’/Casein intolerance that results in intestinal permeability, permitting improperly digested peptides to get into the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier that behave like neurotransmitters and cause the scrambling of sensory input). Yeast infections are also doubted to be associated with this syndrome. Some researchers have described the role of ‘Leaky Gut Syndrome’ (resulting from the deficiency of beneficial bacteria that helps digestion). The lack of these bacteria would make the residual matter accumulated in the bloodstream and result in dangerous immune reaction (Warren, 1986).

Other major causes of autism include
Brain injury.
Constitutional vulnerability.
Developmental aphasia.
Deficits in the reticular activating system.
An unfortunate interplay between psychogenic and neurodevelopmental factors.
Structural cerebellar changes.
Genetic causes.
Viral causes.
Immunological ties.
Vaccines.
Seizures (Rimland, 1965).

The etiology and causes of autism are is still a mystery and controversy. No theory has been proved true. Researchers have come up with wide range of possible causes. Autistic individuals are different from one another. This leads to the point that there may be multiple reasons that interact with one another in complex and subtle ways that bring about differing outcomes in each person (Samson, 2002). Autism may be the result of multiple unidentified situations with different or variably co-mingling possibilities.

Certain researchers point to the physical disorder models while they hunt for the causes of Autism. The important factors and theories are brain size, extreme male brain theory, other brain differences, preoperational-autism theory, underconnectivity theory, mind blindness theory, faulty mirror neuron theory, and etiology theories for physical disorder models.

Etiology theories for physical disorder models are the most popular theories (Samson, 2002). The theories of causes that come under this etiology theory include genetics theory, brain testosterone theory, nutritional deficiencies, leaky gut syndrome and related deficiencies, folic acid, brain trauma, viral or bacterial infection, immune disorders and immune system insults, blood type theory, amygdala neurons and fear theory and vaccine theory (Groshan, 2007). Natural variation model theories include monotropism and social construct theory. The psychological disorder models are also explain the causes of autism, for example the refrigerator mother (theory) and other psychogenic theories (Groshan, 2007).

References

Rimland, B. Infantile Autism, Irvington Pub, 1965.

Fabiola, Groshan. ‘Possible Theories on the Causes of Autism.’ EzineArticles 12 September 2006. 24 March 2007 .

Samson, K. New studies shed light on brain changes in early autism. Neurology Today. 2(8), 18-19, 2002.

Warren RP, et.al. Immune abnormalities in patients with autism.J. Aut. Devlopm. Disord. 16:189-197 (1986)

Wing L. The Autistic Spectrum . London: Constable, 1996, pp. 68-71.