What is autism (where's my spelling checker)

[Pyrotex]

There is some discussion about the MMR vaccination as a possible trigger for some childern to develop disorders in the austism family (including autism).

This conjecture that vaccinations cause or trigger autism has been around for a while. However, there is NO evidence, medical or statistical, that there is any correlation between the two. If there were, you would expect autism to be rare among children who had not been given the MMR (or other) vaccinations. Such is not the case. Unvaccinated kids show up autistic at about the same rates.

 

There is no current "accepted consensus" at what causes autism.

There is no current medical treatment that is effective at "curing" autism.

Various holistic and other "alternative" treatments have had no affect.

Early diagnosis can enable putting the autistic child in intensive educational environments as early as two years old. Several years of this can help offset the dysfunctionality--but this is NOT a cure.

 

There is a "guess" at what causes autism, and it has to do with the fact that an infant's brain is not complete at birth--there are many neural pathways that are still forming between major brain components. It is conjectured that in autism, some of these neural pathways do not form. As a result, some components of the brain cannot "talk to each other", or "control each other". Again, this is just a "guess". No one really knows.

[Fatstep]

Well, that is a bit of an understatement. Autism is much more complex a phenomenon than just social phobia or inability. The autist, besides having limitations in their social skills, tend to have extreme difficulty filtering out the stimuli of the world around them. Everything around them is very loud and noisy, but they cannot tune it out...

 

Even my comment is an over-simplification, however, it adds somewhat to the extremely basic comment made above.

 

The worst type of leader is the misleader. (I may have to use that again)

 

That's why I said simply. I know a few people with asperger's and one with what we would consider normal autism, sorry if I made it too simple.

[Michaelangelica]

The CDC Vastly Underestimates the Autism Epidemic

 

child, autismThe Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that 1 in every 150 children has an autism spectrum disorder. But a report from the Vaccine Autoimmune Project puts the autism prevalence at 1 in every 67 children, based on Department of Education statistics.

 

Even that report only includes children who qualify for special education services through the autism eligibility category, and therefore potentially excludes thousands of children.

A recent report from the military also confirmed this number; there are more than 22,000 people service wide with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder, almost all of them children of active duty or retired active duty dependents.

The CDC Vastly Underestimates the Autism Epidemic - Articles

 

2008 Autism Conference with Dietrich Klinghardt

[dduckwessel]

Is an otherwise socially challenged savant, autistic? What I mean to say is it another form of autism?

 

Derek seems to me to have all of the attributes of autism, yet, he's continually improving in both communication skills and his amazing ability:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak2jxmhCH1M&feature=youtube_gdata

 

I work with autistic children and none of them are even remotely the same (although they all stim). If you will note, see how Derek continually moves his head from side to side (or when he plays the piano he sometimes rocks back and forth)? I believe this is because of his being blind as I distinctly recall seeing Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder make the same movements. I think it's the body's way of maintaining equilibrium, an adaptation due to the inability to see (which creates equilibrium)! Therefore, I believe that autistic 'stimming' is simply a way to maintain equilibrium.

 

The many forms of autism (Asbergers, etc.) seems to me to be more determined by individual personality traits. What I mean is that the autism is really a secondary trait as the underlying personality stays intact even though the individual loses the ability (18 months - 2 years) to communicate effectly in society. This shows me that autism is the result of external factors rather than internal ones (although for certain it affects internally as it obviously affects the brain) or rather the lack of certain factors.

 

I'm just going to throw it out there...did anyone watch the movie 'Lorenzo's Oil'?:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo's_Oil

 

The short of it, long chain fatty acids were added to Lorenzo's diet, which affected his brain in a positive way and he immediately began improving.

 

I believe that autism is a brain malfunction connected somehow to the lack of long chain fatty acids but it's just a guess.

[belovelife]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome

 

also

http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=12034

 

 

 

if there is increased brain size, then mabe the issue is envyromental cues

 

where it is difficult to raise a child that has autism if you are not aware of the issues

 

with increased amygdala size, you have increased sensory input

 

where alot of autistics find everything louder

 

my nephew is autistic, and when i babysit him i only wisper

 

he always smiles and gives me hugs

 

sadly both his parents like to yell all the time, and you can see him physically cringe, and he loses focus

 

and goes back into his autistic spiral

 

where when i babysit him, he always pays attention to me

 

one day i wrote on his bedroom wall a bunch of dice symbols and basic arithmatic in concept

 

and i explained it to him

 

a week later he was on the computer (which he always is) and he was doing a bunch of math problems

 

and he is really sensitive to mood, the mood of the room always makes him react to the room

 

but mainly he is really smiley and likes hugs

[dduckwessel]

if there is increased brain size, then mabe the issue is envyromental cues

 

I don't believe there was increased brain size but according to the video the problem seems to be centered in the amygdala and its failure to process information correctly. There's most definitely a deficiency but the research is very promising.

 

 

with increased amygdala size, you have increased sensory input

 

The Austism group showed increased amygdala activity but to wrong stimuli, which merely shows confused sensory input/output: basically they react when they shouldn't and don't react when they should.

 

where alot of autistics find everything louder

 

True but it could be related to the confused signals in the amygdala region.

 

my nephew is autistic, and when i babysit him i only wisper

 

Probably a good idea but different people react differently. I have a child who needs lots of very loud (but positive) verbal stimulation to motivate him.

 

he always smiles and gives me hugs

 

it's always good to be sensitive to peoples feelings

 

sadly both his parents like to yell all the time, and you can see him physically cringe, and he loses focus...

 

A happy environment is most definitely preferred, and not just for autistic children. I've heard it said that parents with autistic children have an 80% divorce rate but the statistics seem to disagree:

 

http://healthland.time.com/2010/05/19/parents-of-autistic-children-not-more-likely-to-break-up/

 

Granted while it can't be easy having a challenged child, nevertheless if the parents have a good relationship they seem better able to handle the stresses. If couples are fighting a lot I think it's a good indication they shouldn't be together.

 

 

one day i wrote on his bedroom wall a bunch of dice symbols and basic arithmatic in concept and i explained it to him...a week later he was on the computer (which he always is) and he was doing a bunch of math problems

 

clever

 

and he is really sensitive to mood, the mood of the room always makes him react to the room

 

Autistic people see details that the normal fucntioning brain is able to ignore.

 

but mainly he is really smiley and likes hugs

 

This is a really good sign as it shows he's comfortable with you.

[granpa]

There is a "guess" at what causes autism, and it has to do with the fact that an infant's brain is not complete at birth--there are many neural pathways that are still forming between major brain components. It is conjectured that in autism, some of these neural pathways do not form. As a result, some components of the brain cannot "talk to each other", or "control each other". Again, this is just a "guess". No one really knows.

 

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/capsules/experience_rouge05.html

 

http://www.rockefeller.edu/about/awards/nobel/twiesel

 

They discovered that animals with one eye closed for the first three months of life become blind in that eye. Examinations revealed no change in the eye itself or in the retina; the LGN cells devoted to that eye had shrunken but still responded to stimulation of the deprived eye as efficiently as those for the normal eye. The difference, they concluded, must therefore be in the striate cortex.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator_mother

[dduckwessel]

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/capsules/experience_rouge05.html

 

http://www.rockefeller.edu/about/awards/nobel/twiesel

 

They discovered that animals with one eye closed for the first three months of life become blind in that eye. Examinations revealed no change in the eye itself or in the retina; the LGN cells devoted to that eye had shrunken but still responded to stimulation of the deprived eye as efficiently as those for the normal eye. The difference, they concluded, must therefore be in the striate cortex.

 

Do I take this to mean that if we don't use it, we lose it?

 

Still that doesn't explain why ASD is more predominant in males over females (4/1):

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1899756,00.html

 

Although a wiki link (can't seem to find it now) states the reason why it's prodominant in males over females is because males only have one y chromosome but females have two x chromosomes - thus females have a sort of backup (extra chromosome) if anything goes wrong whereas males don't have that.

 

If it was a birth defect, I presume that it would affect the child immediately, not wait until 18 mos. - 2 yrs when it seems to 'ceiling'. The process is always a gradual one culminating in the ceiling. Is the ceiling an indication of a depletion of something in the brain (brain stores only last until approx. 2 years and then are depleted and if the missing compound is not supplemented in diet, the brain becomes impaired)?

 

If it was mental retardation it would not be reversible but there are cases (not many mind you) that when caught early enough, even severe ASD was completely reversed:

http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/ (the director Raun Kaufman was diagnosed as severely ASD at 2 years and made a complete recovery thanks to this program developed by his parents)

 

Toxicity - the ceiling seems to suggest (to me) a lack of something rather than something that was added but not necessarily as why does it only affect the amygdala specifically? If it affects only a certain region of the brain, then maybe a toxic compound is suspect? Immunizations have apparently been cleared of any blame but the links that Michaelangelica posted say something else.

[granpa]

Do I take this to mean that if we don't use it, we lose it?

 

 

yes during teh critical period

[belovelife]

if you watch more of the uctv videos, i'm pretty sure there was a link to increaed amygdala size

[dduckwessel]

if you watch more of the uctv videos, i'm pretty sure there was a link to increaed amygdala size

 

Yes sorry I misunderstood because you said 'brain' size when I think you meant to say 'amygdala' size instead! And yes there is a link to increased amygdala size and autism.

 

I think this is a really good and balanced article:

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/30/138850892/a-childs-autism-risk-might-not-depend-on-genes

 

 

Larger amygdala size is linked to 'primitive' emotional behaviour (I've distincly heard monkey squeals and grunts from autistic people), political, social, which I believe must include religious groups::

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1342239/Brain-study-reveals-right-wing-conservatives-larger-primitive-amygdala.html

 

 

Further, and bit off topic, larger amygdala's are seen in people with a large group of friends:

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101226/full/news.2010.699.html

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/more_friends_bigger_brain/

[sandradavis]

First, autism hasn't necessarily increased in the percentage of the population which has it. It could simply be a matter of it being recognized and diagnosed as autism instead of previously being ignored or dismissed as something else. Second, some cases could be currently labeled as autism when they might be something else. In both of these cases it would be a matter of how the data was interpreted and have nothing to do with any increase in reality.

[Essay]

First, autism hasn't necessarily increased in the percentage of the population which has it. It could simply be a matter of it being recognized and diagnosed as autism instead of previously being ignored or dismissed as something else. Second, some cases could be currently labeled as autism when they might be something else. In both of these cases it would be a matter of how the data was interpreted and have nothing to do with any increase in reality.

Those are all valid, and not uncommon, possibilities. In addition to those effects, it occurred to me that:

 

If you look at the history of "treatment" for any mental abberations (or physical also) and the common prevalance of infanticide throughout history--until just the past several generations--you might wonder if many autists, aspies, or "idiot-savants" could ever survive to reproductive age--until just the past few generations.

 

The fact that these traits seem to be on a spectrum also lends support to the idea that, once allowed to reach reproductive age, some of those traits might increase in the general population. In fact, since it is just a few generations since this shift in societal treatment/acceptance, we might not be surprised to expect a sort of "explosion" in phenotypes expressing autistic or Aspie traits.

 

Many of the genes associated with "autism/Aspism" are located in a chromosomal hotspot currently undergoing increased rearrangement--associated with digestive genes in the same area. There is research on this; if you're interested, I could find that later.

 

~ :)

 

p.s. The "60 Minutes" story on Jake Barnett, earlier tonight, was a fascinating look at how difficult it must be to find the right chance that allows those newly evolved brains to flourish. In the past it would have been so much more difficult, i'd think.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-57359443-10391709/jake-hanging-out-with-a-teenage-einstein/

"Jake: Hanging out with a teenage Einstein"

[Ken]

The only link to the actual clinical definition of Autism appears to be broken so I've copied the definition from DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association).

 

NOTE: For some strange reason several emoticons and copyright signs appear in the quoted text. They don't belong there and don't show up in the Edit window. :angry:

 

[The following is from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM IV]

 

(I) A total of six (or more) items from (A), (B), and ©, with at least two from (A), and one each from (B) and ©

 

(A) qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

 

1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction

2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level

3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people, (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)

4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity ( note: in the description, it gives the following as examples: not actively participating in simple social play or games, preferring solitary activities, or involving others in activities only as tools or "mechanical" aids )

 

(B) qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:

1. delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)

2. in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others

3. stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language

4. lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to developmental level

 

© restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least two of the following:

1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus

2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals

3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)

4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

 

(II) Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years:

(A) social interaction

(B) language as used in social communication

© symbolic or imaginative play

 

(III) The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett's Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

 

If the symptoms do not meet these criteria then the disorder is NOT Autism.

 

This is extremely important when looking at such issues as claims about vaccinations, therapies, etc. If the diagnosis has not been made by a qualified clinician then one cannot depend on it, and any "data" presented is suspect.