What causes Autism - Research Paper Example

What Causes Autism? A child with autism will rarely look you in the eye. He lives in a bubble. He does not like people totouch him. He lacks the ability to empathize. He is intelligent, but does not understand how other children communicate. He lacks the ability to communicate through social norms. He is happy playing by himself. The other children stay away because he says odd things. What causes a child with autism to act this way? What causes autism? Does the mandatory MMR vaccine cause autism? In order to determine what causes autism, it is important to thoroughly understand the details of the disorder. In The Essential Difference, Simon Baron-Cohen defines autism as “an imbalance between two kinds of intelligence; the kind used to understand people (‘empathizing’), and the kind used to understand things (‘systemizing’)” (33). A child with autism’s social interaction varies from awkward to virtually nonexistent, implying that they have very little ‘empathizing’ ability. While normal children notice, observe, and interact with those around them, children with autism survive in a bubble of social solitude. Babies with autism lack the social smile that encourages the closeness and attention characteristic of regular babies. They refuse to cuddle, shy away from direct eye contact, and arch their bodies away from their caregivers. Later on, children with autism will not play with their peers, choosing instead to entertain themselves in what has been called the fantasy world inside their heads. Michael Rutter defines autism based on several factors based on Kanner’s 1943 observations: These features included an inability to develop relationships with people, a delay in speech acquisition, the noncommunicative use of speech after it developed, delayed echolalia, pronominal reversal, repetitive and stereotyped play activities, an obsessive insistence on the maintenance of sameness, a lack of imagination, a good rote memory, and a normal physical appearance. (139) There is a drastic difference between the motor skills of children with autism and normal children. The average boy plays with his toy truck by wheeling it around the floor and uttering “vroom vroom” noises. The child with autism, on the other hand, would rather hold the truck upside down in one hand and spin the wheels repeatedly with the other. Children with autism are enthralled with patterns, and frequently engage in ritualistic activity that involves watching those patterns for hours on end. In addition, the children with autism who are able to walk, do so in a duck-like pattern and learn far later than the normal age of two years old (Baron-Cohen 134). Whereas normal children crawl by six months, children with autism will still be sitting immobile lost in their own little worlds. Changes in environment cause extended, abnormal tantrums consisting of head-banging, hand-flailing, and other self-mutilating activities. Some scientists and parents claim that immunization may cause autism. According to this theory, the child is relatively normal until after his last round of shots (Baron-Cohen 133). This theory causes parents to have concerns regarding the safety of vaccinations. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a book on the topic. The book, Immunization Safety Review: Measles-mumps-rubella Vaccine and Autism, attempts to address the concern that the MMR vaccine causes autism. The book emphasizes the importance of vaccines for eliminating disease. The conclusion states that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism, but a small number of children might be adversely affected by the vaccine: The Immunization Safety Review Committee concludes that the evidence favors rejection of a casual relationship at the population level between MMR vaccine and ASD. However, this conclusion does not exclude the possibility that MMR vaccine could contribute to ASD in a small number of children, because the epidemiological evidence lacks the precision to assess rare occurrences. (Stratton 9) Basically, the committee is stating that the MMR vaccine could possibly affect a small, rare number of children but the evidence is slim. The conclusion the committee seems to come to is that vaccinations do far more harm than good. The few who are affected are a small price to pay for the eradication of predominant diseases. A study conducted in Japan from 1988 to 1996 concluded that the MMR vaccine is unlikely to cause Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD (Honda 579). During the study, the MMR vaccine was discontinued in 1993. However, cases of autism continued to rise after the vaccine was no longer in circulation. This leads to the conclusion that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism since the vaccine was discontinued but new cases of autism continued to occur. The study shows a lack of evidence for the connection of autism to the MMR vaccine, thereby concluding that one does not cause the other. Another theory into what causes autism is the environmental theory. Philip Landrigan’s study concludes that early environmental factors might cause the biological change in brain chemistry that leads to autism (220). When a baby’s brain is developing, they are extremely sensitive to chemicals such as lead, ethyl alcohol, and methyl mercury. In addition, a baby is susceptible to certain specific chemicals when they are in the womb developing. Landrigan states that children today are surrounded by thousands of different chemicals, and more research needs to be conducted into the correlation of exposure to these chemicals and diseases like autism. Landrigan states: Children today are surrounded by thousands of synthetic chemicals. Two hundred of them are neurotoxic in adult humans, and 1000 more in laboratory models. Yet fewer than 20% of high-volume chemicals have been tested for neurodevelopmental toxicity. (225) These facts are concerning. Modern technology has brought along with it many risks. Over 80% of these chemicals have not been tested in regards to how they affect developing babies. This shows that environmental factors could cause autism. Another article by Michael Rutter, written 27 years after his article in which he defines autism, states the possible causes of the disorder: The basic cause of the cognitive defect is unknown, although the high rate of fits in intellectually retarded autistic children suggests the presence of some kind of organic brain disorder. Among the intelligent autistic children, there is less evidence for structural brain pathology; it remains possible that in some cases autism may arise on the basis of some maturational disorder or genetically determined condition. Rutter and Bartak conclude that autism might be the result of a naturally-occurring brain disorder. It is possible that autism might be a condition that arises from mutated genes in the brain. This conclusion would eliminate cause and effect theories that state that an outside source such as chemicals and vaccines causes the disorder. If autism originates from mutated brain chemistry, there would be nothing else to blame for the disorder. A study in the United Kingdom monitored the mothers of autistic and non-autistic boys. Hershel Jick concluded that the recent surge in the diagnosis of boys with autism is due to changes in the diagnostic practices (1530). This study shows that autism may have been more prevalent but not accurately diagnosed in previous years. If this is the case, then cases of autism might not be increasing but simply more are being discovered. This is important because the prevalence of autism might be an important factor in determining the cause of the disorder. If autism has been around more prevalently than was previously thought, then the cause might be drastically different than what scientists and parents have concluded for themselves. This conclusion by Jick’s study supports the theory that environmental factors might cause autism. There are far more dangerous chemicals being used in households today than there were one hundred years ago. Perhaps the prevalence of autism has grown in correlation to the prevalence of household chemicals. While the cause of autism is still unknown, much progress has been made in discovering how to help children with the disorder. Ongoing studies are attempting to find biological differences in the brain chemistries of normal children and those with autism. The disorder affects 1 in 500 children, 75% of whom are male, and the cause is still generally unknown (Baron-Cohen 135). Although a cause and cure have not been discovered, treatment for autism’s effects is being developed at a rapid pace. Ground-breaking behavioral management techniques and institutionalization are at the forefront of treatments. Places such as Chicago’s Orthogenic School have been developed to teach the child with autism how to better trust his environment and restart his development. At this school the child is assigned one person who fulfills his needs and helps reduced environmental pressures. Another method, operant shaping, is used by gradually molding responses by rewarding ever-closer approximations to a final desired pattern using food and stimulation. Even with help, only 25% of children with autism approach normality and an even slimmer 2% can live independently. However, almost all children with autism can make progress through behavior modification and special care. Children with autism possess specific traits that lead to their diagnosis. Basically, they do not fit in socially with their peers. This does not mean they are less intelligent, just that they are different. Their brain chemistry is different. This definition of autism leads to the question, what causes autism? One theory is that the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccination contains chemicals that alter the brain chemistry of young children. There have been many studies that conclusively disprove this theory. Based on the Honda study in Japan, it is safe to conclude that this vaccine does not cause autism. Another theory by Landrigan concludes that environmental factors during gestation and early development could cause autism. This theory appears to hold the most evidence because of the prevalence of household chemicals. It makes sense to conclude that the widespread occurrence of chemicals has something to do with altering the brain chemistry of a young child. There are chemicals in cleaning products, shampoo, and even in the food most people eat. According to Landrigan, only 20% of these chemicals have been tested for early developmental effects. This study shows that more research needs to be done to determine the effects of these chemicals on developing children. Regardless of the cause or causes of autism, much can be done to help the children who are affected by the disorder. Programs in schools target specific symptoms of the disorder. Therapists are now highly trained to help children alleviate their symptoms. Parents are much more knowledgeable about the disorder than they were a generation ago. Sometimes when the cause of a disorder or disorder is unknown, the only thing left to do is improve the life of the child affected with targeted therapy and increased awareness. Works Cited Baron-Cohen, Simon. The Essential Difference: the Truth about the Male and Female Brain. New York, NY: Basic, 2003. Print. Honda, Hideo, Yasuo Shimizu, and Michael Rutter. "No Effect of MMR Withdrawal on the Incidence of Autism: a Total Population Study." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 46.6 (2005): 572-79. Print. Jick, Hershel, and James A. Kaye. "Epidemiology and Possible Causes of Autism." Pharmacotherapy 23.12 (2003): 1524-530. Print. Landrigan, Philip J. "What Causes Autism? Exploring the Environmental Contribution." Current Opinion in Pediatrics 22.2 (2010): 219-25. Print. Rutter, Michael. "Diagnosis and Definition of Childhood Autism." Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia 8.2 (1978): 139-61. Print. Rutter, Michael, and Lawrence Bartak. "Causes of Infantile Autism: Some Considerations from Recent Research." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 1.1 (2005): 20-32. Print. Stratton, Kathleen R. Immunization Safety Review: Measles-mumps-rubella Vaccine and Autism. Washington, D.C.: National Academy, 2001. Print. Reflection: I chose this topic after reading a Jodi Picoult novel titled House Rules. In the novel, an 18-year old boy who has autism is accused of murder. The novel changes perspectives in each chapter from the boy with autism to his family members and members of the community. In this way, it provides a well-rounded view of autism. In the novel, the mother believes that Jacob would not have autism if he had not received his MMR vaccination. She claims there was a specific chemical in the vaccination he received as a baby that changed his brain chemistry. This led me to my research question, what causes autism? There are a lot of people that believe immunizations are either a direct cause or contributing factor to the development of autism. There are also people who believe that gluten and dairy products provoke the symptoms a child with autism displays. When I began my paper, I wanted to give a unique perspective of a child with autism. In the opening, I tried to draw a word picture of this child. Then I introduced my research question. The next two pages provide background information to answer the question, “What is autism?” I used a book and a scholarly journal for information about the definition. To answer my question, “What causes autism?” I used books and scholarly articles. The book from the Center for Disease Control provides the government perspective regarding the vaccine. The study in Japan shows that the vaccine might not be the cause of autism. The article by Landrigan suggests that environmental factors might be the cause. The research I conducted led me to the conclusion that sometimes the causes of a disease cannot be determined, and the only course of action from that point on is striving to alleviate the symptoms. Read More