Neurological Damage and Changes in the Brain Associated with Autism - Essay Example

? Autism Introduction Autism is a neural development disorder which is characterized by impaired social relations and communication, and by limited and repetitive behavior. Autism affects the processing of information in the brain by changing how the nerve cells and its synapses link and organize. It is one of the three known Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s). In rare instances, autism gets associated with those agents that lead to birth defects. Other studies have revealed that heavy metals, childhood vaccines or pesticides could be some of the environmental causes of autism (Hill & Uta, 2003). Neurological damage and changes in the brain associated with autism. The nervous system which is known to be a very complex network becomes disrupted by the presence of autism. The disruption results to changes in the manner the brain is wired and set to process information. Such differences can result to self stimulatory behaviors, social dysfunction as well as language problems. The initial signs of autism are the inability of the child to regulate the sensory input involved in processing movement, tactile, auditory, touch, and visual and smell stimuli (Michael, 2000). Autistic children tend to experience sensory integration where some of the senses become either under or over sensitive. For instance, an autistic child may get hold of a soft object such as a cotton wool and feel pain instead of feeling it as soft. On the other hand, feel uncomfortable when they put on clothing as they have a tendency of feeling pain when the fabric come into contact with their skin. Others under react while others over react to either very loud or soft sound when it gets into their ears. In addition, others feel very comfortable in a very bright light while to some, a dim light is painful to their eyes. Certain foods which are perceived to have a bitter taste can sound very sweet in their mouths or have no taste at all. The same applies to smell, some awful odor may turn out to be a sweet smell to them or have no smell at all. These children have to be constantly under our watch and care since they have a tendency of injuring themselves. They harm their bodies with sharp objects but they don’t notice it since they do not feel any pain at all. They may want to wash their face with very hot water; to them they feel the water to be extremely cold. These different levels of sensory registration are presumed to be associated with the brain’s cerebellum. The cerebellum hampers the person’s ability to regulate his/her sensations and may cause difficulty in comprehending and use of language since language and sensory failure are interconnected (Hill & Uta, 2003). A study found out that brain cells linked with the central nervous system gets inflamed in persons with autism much higher than in normal persons. Cerebro-spinal fluid depicted an increase in the response of cytokine in children with autism. These outcomes point to the inflammation as a cause in the occurrence of autism disorders (Salmond, 2003). The behavioral and functional changes associated with autism. Autism is considered as a disorder of wide-spectrum as each autistic person exhibits his/her own unique symptoms and characteristics. The following are some of the commonly seen characteristics; In a mild case of autism, the person appears to be socially clumsy, makes countable eye contacts and makes offensive comments. In severe cases, the person has completely been in isolation as he/she is totally disinterested with other people. They tend to miss the cues that we exhibit when you want to get somebody’s attention and the person may not even be aware that you are trying to talk to him/her. An autistic person may not even understand how you are feeling. His/her capacity to empathize with somebody is relatively low and they need constant practice and being reminded in order to improve on this. Also, such children do not like to be cuddled or getting touched (Salmond et al, 2003). An autistic person may find sudden loud noises to be unpleasant and shocking. The same is with the smell, intensity of light and temperature. You need to remind and prepare them for such stimuli and how to cope with such happenings. Also, autistic persons have difficulty in speaking. Depending on the extent of the disorder, some may not speak completely while others may stutter or keep on repeating certain words more often. Autistic children have difficulties in learning but this varies unpredictably from one child to another. Others learn much faster while others take so much time to learn (Hill & Uta, 2003). The suspected or known causes of autism. Most researches have suggested that the structural differences or the abnormalities in the brain may have led to the deviations in behaviors exhibited in individuals with autism. The cause of these changes in the structure and development of the brain are yet to be determined, however a probability exists that factors such as environmental stimulants, change in the diet, pregnancy complications, viral infections, heavy metals, pesticides, genetic impairments, childhood vaccinations, gastrointestinal treatments or Digestive may also be the possible causes. Others estimate that the brains of autistic persons are wired in a different way right from birth (Michael, 2000). Current treatments, therapies, and possible prevention or cure for autism in the future. Treatment and therapies provided at the clinic may include; training in social skills, social stories, behavioral supports, as well as social referencing. Behavior supports involves giving functional assessments in order to deal with maladaptive behavior. All these intervention strategies focus on the observable outcomes. Several intervention strategies and recommendations are offered based on the outcomes of the psychological examination. Some of them include acquisition of general social skills, behavior management, socialization and relaxation opportunities, and support and awareness information process in the IEP, and the sibling support. Referral programs include service agencies, referrals for medical, and referrals linked to the desire for adjunct medication. Currently, autism children are provided with medication to regulate symptoms and also receive therapy aimed at correcting their behavior coupled with communication problems. With the extensive research in progress, geneticists hope that their findings will one day protect and cure children from suffering from autism (Salmond et al, 2003). The role of genetics with the onset of autism. There is a deliberation on whether autism is predominantly a genetic disorder or if the environment also plays a part in its onset. Researches on genetics and autism reveal that there is likelihood that abnormalities of chromosomes may put someone vulnerable to some environmental effects. For example, some chemicals may lead to the development of autism since the person is susceptible to it. Other researchers have also shown that that many people with autism also suffer from chromosomal abnormalities. Blood tests and DNA tests are the most used methods to discover autism having a genetic condition. Studies established that most autism scenarios involved the mutation of genes in either the egg or sperm of the parents. However, in this particular research, results did not yield any particular genes as the root of autism but it is believed that several genes could be contributing to the rise of autism (Michael, 2000). The Presentation The presentation is one of the best I have ever seen since the information has been well organized and presented in a logical sequence. It is visually attractive and arouses the reader to read all the content with much ease. Conclusion It is estimated that autism affects about 1 to 2 children per 1000 children worldwide. In most cases, parents tend to notice the signs of autism in the early years of their children’s life. Some children develop in the normal way but later begin regressing as the signs develop gradually. When the behavioral and cognitive interventions are exercised early enough, autistic children can acquire the social skills, self-care and communication skills. The exact cure for autism is yet to be discovered but there are some cases where autistic children have fully recovered. There has been a lot of confusion as to whether to refer to autism as a disease or as a disorder. Very few autistic children have lived independently after attaining adulthood, though some have been very successful in life (Hill & Uta, 2003). References Hill, L., & Uta F. (2003). Understanding autism: insights from mind and brain. London: The Royal Society. Salmond, C. H., Haan, M., Friston, K.J., Gadian, D.G & Kham, F. (2003). Investigating individual differences in brain abnormalities in autism. London: The Royal Society. Michael, J. D. (2000). The Genetics of Autism. Retrieved May 05, 2013, from Action Bioscience web site: Read More