Autism Causes, Symptoms, & Treatments

What causes Autism?

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, Scientists aren’t certain about what causes ASD, but it’s likely that both genetics and environment play a role.  Researchers have identified a number of genes associated with the disorder.  Studies of people with ASD have found irregularities in several regions of the brain.  Other studies suggest that people with ASD have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain.  These abnormalities suggest that ASD could result from the disruption of normal brain development early in fetal development caused by defects in genes that control brain growth and that regulate how brain cells communicate with each other, possibly due to the influence of environmental factors on gene function.  While these findings are intriguing, they are preliminary and require further study.  The theory that parental practices are responsible for ASD has long been disproved.

What are the symptoms of Autism?

According to Autism Speaks' multi-year Ad Council public service advertising campaign stresses the importance of recognizing the early signs of autism and seeking early intervention services. Research confirms that EARLY and appropriate screening can determine whether a child is at risk for autism as young as one year. While every child develops differently, we also know that early treatment improves outcomes, often dramatically. Studies show, for example, that early intensive behavioral intervention improves learning, communication and social skills in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

One of the most important things you can do as a parent or caregiver is to learn the early signs of autism and become familiar with the typical developmental milestones that your child should be reaching.

The following 12 points may indicate your child is at risk for an autism spectrum disorder. Autism varies widely in severity and symptoms and may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected children or when it is masked by more debilitating special needs.  Diagnostic criteria that require evaluation by an expert include:

1. No babbling or pointing by age 1
2. No single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
3. No response to name
4. Poor eye contact
5. Excessive lining up of toys or objects
6. No smiling or social responsiveness.
7. No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
8. No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by nine months
9. No babbling by 12 months
10. No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months
11. No meaningful, two-word phrases (not including imitating or repeating) by 24 months
12. Any loss of speech, language, babbling or social skills at any age

Later indicators include:

1. Impaired ability to make friends with peers
2. Impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
3. Absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
4. Stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language
5. Restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus
6. Preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
7. Inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals.

Please contact your pediatrician, family doctor, or psychologist for an evaluation if your child exhibits any combination of the criteria mentioned above.

DSM IV-TR Diagnostic Criteria for Autistic Disorder: The diagnostic labels and criteria for autism and similar disorders have changed several times since "autism" was first defined more than 50 years ago. The diagnostic criteria for autism that are currently most widely accepted within the US are those listed below, as specified in the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, commonly referred to as "DSM-IV." A fifth edition of this manual is due for publication in May 2013.

A diagnosis of autistic disorder is made when the following criteria from A, B, and C are all met.

1. A total of six (or more) items from (1), (2), and (3), with at least two from (1), and one each from (2) and (3):
1. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1. marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, 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 others (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest)
4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity

2. 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

3. Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interest, and activities, as manifested by at least one 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

1. Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years: (1) social interaction, (2) language as used in social communication, or (3) symbolic or imaginative play.

B. The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett's Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.

Please contact your pediatrician, family doctor, or psychologist for an evaluation if believe your child may exhibit the criteria above.

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