Autism
hideAutism is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism involves many parts of the brain; how this occurs is not well understood. The two other autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and PDD-NOS, diagnosed when full criteria for the other two disorders are not met.
Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by rare mutations, or by rare combinations of common genetic variants. In rare cases, autism is strongly associated with agents that cause birth defects. Controversies surround other proposed environmental causes, such as heavy metals, pesticides or childhood vaccines; the vaccine hypotheses are biologically implausible and lack convincing scientific evidence. The prevalence of ASD is about 6 per 1,000 people, with about four times as many males as females. The number of people known to have autism has increased dramatically since the 1980s, partly due to changes in diagnostic practice; the question of whether actual prevalence has increased is unresolved.
Parents usually notice signs in the first two years of their child's life. Although early behavioral or cognitive intervention can help children gain self-care, social, and communication skills, there is no known cure. Not many children with autism live independently after reaching adulthood, though some become successful. An autistic culture has developed, with some individuals seeking a cure and others believing autism should be tolerated as a difference and not treated as a disorder.
For more information about Autism, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with autism
Study surprise yields new target for assessing genes linked to autism
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have uncovered a new genetic signature that correlates strongly with autism and which doesn't involve changes to the DNA sequence itself. Rather, the changes are in the way the ...
Genome-wide study of autism published in Nature
Oct 07, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In one of the first studies of its kind, an international team of researchers has uncovered a single-letter change in the genetic code that is associated with autism. The finding, published ...
OrbiTouch keyboard: Removing the barriers of autism
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Aug 31, 2009 |
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Autism can build a wall of poor communication between those struggling with the condition and their families. While a personal computer can help bridge the divide, the distraction and complexity of a keyboard ...
Naming may be key to brain's ability to recognize faces
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jun 25, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Our tendency to see people and faces as individuals may explain why we are such experts at recognizing them, new research indicates. This approach can be learned and applied to other objects ...
First common genetic risk factors for autism demonstrated
Apr 28, 2009 |
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UCLA scientists, in partnership with 30 research institutions across the country, have identified a new gene variant that is highly common in autistic children. And when researchers scrutinized the activity ...
Scientists propose new theory of autism
Apr 01, 2009 |
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Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have proposed a sweeping new theory of autism that suggests that the brains of people with autism are structurally normal but dysregulated, meaning symptoms ...
Autism skews developing brain with synchronous motion and sound (w/Video)
Mar 29, 2009 |
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Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to stare at people's mouths rather than their eyes. Now, an NIH-funded study in 2-year-olds with the social deficit disorder suggests why they might find mouths so attractive: ...
Research backs theory on autism, schizophrenia
Nov 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- New research by Simon Fraser University evolutionary biologist Bernard Crespi reinforces his theory that autism and schizophrenia are diametric or opposite conditions based on genes.
New 'schizophrenia gene' prompts researchers to test potential drug target
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Johns Hopkins scientists report having used a commercially available drug to successfully "rescue" animal brain cells that they had intentionally damaged by manipulating a newly discovered gene that links susceptibility genes ...
Rare mutation dramatically increasing schizophrenia risk
Oct 25, 2009 |
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An international team of researchers led by geneticist Jonathan Sebat, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), has identified a mutation on human chromosome 16 that substantially increases risk for schizophrenia.
Study finds mercury levels in children with autism and those developing typically are the same
Oct 19, 2009 |
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In a large population-based study published online today, researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute report that after adjusting for a number of factors, typically developing children and children with autism have similar ...
Professor uses video games to explore facets of autism
Oct 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Matthew Belmonte, assistant professor of human development, is looking for order behind the many behavioral and physiological features of autism.
Scientists find autism-associated synapse alterations
Oct 12, 2009 |
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A Stanford University School of Medicine researcher has pinpointed the mechanism by which a gene associated with both autism and schizophrenia influences behavior in mice.
Technology helps teach kids with autism
Sep 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- As a child, Gillian Hayes fainted a lot. Doctors asked her to write down how she felt and what she was doing each time she became woozy.
Autistic teens master social cues, find friends
Aug 21, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Thirteen-year-old Andrea Levy ticked off a mental list of rules to follow when her guest arrived: Greet her at the door. Introduce her to the family. Offer a cold drink.
