Newspaper Page Text
August 20, 2008
^Reporter
Autism: Symptoms, treatments
In 2007, the Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) released
a report that raised many
an eyebrow across the
country. Examining the
prevalence of autism in the
U.S., the report concluded
that autism figures were
rising rapidly, affecting 1
in every 150 American chil
dren.
Those figures translate to
roughly 1.5 million
Americans with some form
of autism today, making
autism the most common
of the Pervasive
Developmental Disorders,
which are characterized by
severe and pervasive
impairment in several
areas of development. As
autism draws more public
interest and concern, the
desire to understand
autism continues to grow
as well.
What is Autism?
Autism is a neurological
disorder that affects cer
tain functions of the brain,
such as the development of
communication skills and
areas of social interaction.
According to the Autism
Society of America (ASA),
autism will appear during
the first three years of life.
What Are the
Symptoms of Autism?
Behaviors associated
with autism might not
present themselves in
infancy, but typically
become obvious during
early childhood (anywhere
from 24 months to 6 years
of age). According to the
National Institute of Child
Health and Human
Development (NICHD), the
following five behaviors
should require further
evaluation beyond the typi
cal well-child visit:
• baby does not coo or
babble by 12 months
• baby does not gesture
(wave, point or grasp) by
12 months
• child does not say sin
gle words by 16 months
• child does not say two-
word phrases on his or her
own by 24 months
• loss of language or
social skill at any age
While none of these
symptoms guarantee a
child has autism, should
any of these symptoms
show themselves, it's
important to have a fur
ther evaluation by a team
of doctors. Parents should
consider consulting a neu
rologist, psychologist,
developmental pediatri
cian, and a speech/lan
guage therapist.
What Causes Autism?
Unfortunately,
researchers have yet to
determine one single cause
for autism. Brain scans
have shown differences in
the shape and structure of
the brain in children with
autism versus
neuro-typical
children, and
it has become
widely accept
ed that
autism is the
result of these
abnormalities
in structure
and function.
As for what
causes those
abnormalities,
research con
tinues to be
conducted into the possibli-
ties. One theory that is
gaining steam is a genetic
vulnerablity to autism.
Autism tends to occur
more frequently among
individuals with certain
medical conditions, such as
congential rubella syn
drome,
Fragile X
syndrome
and tuberous
sclerosis.
Research
has also indi
cated that
environmen
tal factors
could be con
tributing to
the rise in
autism.
Evironmental toxins such
as mercury are more
prevalent in the current
environment than in the
past. Children who might
be especially vulnerable,
such as those who might
have any of the aforemen
tioned genetic conditions,
have difficulty metaboliz
ing and detoxifying mercu
ry, which could make them
more susceptible to autism.
Is There Anything
Parents Can Do?
While there remains no
cure for autism, research
has shown that early inter
vention can have a pro
found impact on reducing
the symptoms. Research
indicates that the youngest
brains are the most flexi
ble, making it easier for
intervention techniques to
be more effective the earli
er the symptoms are
detected.
For more information on
autism and to find an ASA
chapter near you, visit the
Autism Society of America
Web site at www.autism-
society.org.
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PAGE 5B
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