Autism: Seeing the World from a Different Angle.

Autism is not a disability. It’s a different ability. 

According to a report from Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM),  1 in 44 (or 2.3%) of children in the US were identified with ASD. These stats were based on eight-year-olds living in 11 ADDM Network sites in the United States. Now, let's start from the basics.

What is Autism?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.

The disability can be found in an infant below 3 years old and could exist for a lifetime. When children with ASD become adolescents, they may have difficulties forming friendships and relationships with others. Some ASD patients may develop conversational skills when they grow up, and others may not. Now comes the next question

What causes autism? 

Scientists believe that multiple causes for autism could come together and change how people develop.

Studies suggest that ASD could result from disruptions in normal brain growth very early in development. These disruptions may result from defects in genes that control brain development and regulate how brain cells communicate with each other. Autism is more common in children born prematurely.

There is no single cause that leads to autism spectrum disorder. The may be a wide range of symptoms. Both genetics and environmental factors play a role in causing autism. 

• Genetics: Many genes are involved in autism spectrum disorder. It could be a genetic disorder for some children. For other children, the genetic changes may increase the risk of causing autism spectrum disorder. Genes may also affect the way brain cells communicate with other cells.

• Environmental factors: Scientists are trying to determine if infections, air pollutants, or medications can cause symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. 

Now let us touch upon a crucial topic.

Autism Symptoms:

There is a wide range of autism symptoms in people with ASD. Autism symptoms are varied. Some autism symptoms seen in patients are:

Difficulties in Social interaction:

• Avoids making eye contact
•  Does not respond when their name is called out
• Does not show facial expressions like happy, angry, sad, etc.
• Uses few or no gestures
• Does not notice when others are hurt

Restricted or repetitive behaviour:

People with autism spectrum disorder may display unusual behaviour. For example, they may show repetitive or restrictive behaviour:

• They may line up their toys and get upset if the order is changed.
• They may repeat their words over and over again.
• Getting upset with little changes.
• Has unusual reactions to how things smell, sound, taste, look and feel.
• Has obsessive interests.

Other Symptoms:

• Slow in speaking and responding to others.
• Moving slowly.
• Impulsive behaviour.
• Peculiar eating and sleeping habits.
• A frequent change in moods.
• Anxiety and stress and constant worrying. 

 Let us discuss in more detail about autism.

Types of autism:

There are three types of autism spectrum disorder. Autism speaks through various disorders that are related to it.

• Autistic Disorder:

This is also called "classic" autism. People with autistic disorder have symptoms like language delays, social and communication challenges, and unusual behaviours and interests. People with autistic disorder also have intellectual disabilities.

• Asperger Syndrome:

People with Asperger syndrome generally have milder symptoms of autistic disorder. For example, they may show unusual behaviour and interests but don't have a problem with language and intellectual ability.

• Pervasive Developmental Disorder:

This is also called "atypical autism" or PDD – NOS. People who meet the criteria for autistic disorder and Asperger syndrome may also be diagnosed with atypical autism. These people might have milder symptoms when compared to people with autistic disorder. People with atypical autism may have only social and communication challenges. 

Now, this leads to our next question.

Is autism hereditary?

Yes, heredity does play a role in autism spectrum disorder. If you have one child that has autism, likely, your second child will also have autism. Your other family members are also most likely to have a child who would have ASD.

Hair mineral analysis can detect signs of autism at an early stage. Autism spectrum disorder tends to run in the family. Although, the inheritance pattern is not known. People with gene changes associated with the condition have an increased risk of developing the condition. When ASD occurs in a pattern related to another syndrome, it can be passed on according to the inheritance pattern of that syndrome. 

Now comes the most important question.

Can autism be cured? 

New research indicates that nearly 1% of the world’s population, or about 75 million people have autism spectrum disorder. So, let's address the question, can we cure autism?

There is no cure as of such for autism. The answer lies in creating a support system and helping the person with autistic disorder build communication and social skills.

Hair mineral analysis could help discover the underlying problem of what causes autism. Then, the problem could be treated with different therapies.

Now let us see how hair mineral analysis helps in our fight against autism.

How can Hair mineral analysis help in identifying Autism?