Cause and Effects of Autism Spectrum Disorder - Coursework Example

Autism Name Class Unit Introduction Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopment disorder which involves a set of certain behaviour and development impairments (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). The condition involves impairment in interactions, communication and behavioural patterns. The condition in most cases continues throughout the lifetime of the person. The condition is diagnosed at the age of three years if the above behavioural symptoms are present. At infancy, it is hard to detect the condition since the child behaviour has not yet developed. Though the condition persists through the lifetime of a person, there are little research on autism in adults and adolescence. For adolescents and adults with autism, the condition is very challenging. Autism is made more challenging due to associated conditions. Some of the autism patients are mentally retarded, epileptic and even Asperger’s syndrome. The condition symptoms can change throughout the life of the patient ranging from mild to severe. At the moment, autism is diagnosed in every 1 to 2 per thousand children and the numbers are rising (Gillberg & Coleman, 2000). There is variety of claims on the causes of autism. Despite this, it is not well established the main cause of the condition. Medical researchers have also come up with several methods in a bid to cure autism. This paper will look at the cause and effects of Autism, treatment and symptoms of the condition. Cause and effects The causes of autism are not yet very clear. Despite this, there are several theories that attempt to define the causes of the condition. There has been genetic evidence in autism. A study was able to link autism with the Engrailed 2 (EN2) gene. The gene has been attributed to more than 40% of autism cases. EN 2 have been associated with the neural development and the study have associated it with ASD predispose. The disruptions associated with the EN 2 gene have the capability to change the development of the brain (Benayed & Gharani, 2005). Those diagnosed with autism have been associated with abnormalities in their serotonergic system (Seung et al. 2007). The main problem with associating autism with genetic is due to its increase. Between the years1990 to 2000, the cases of autism increased by 870% (Gillberg & Coleman, 2000). If the genetic was the main cause of autism, the cases of autism would have remained constant between the periods. Though there are genetic influence in autism, genes alone cannot explain the condition. There have been claims that nutrients and toxins interacts with these genes leading to autism. The cell membranes are in some cases, impaired, making them vulnerable. Lack or poor intake of Omega 3 fatty acids have been blamed for the poor cell membranes and development of the neuron system. Fatty acid deficiency has the capability to contribute to neurodevelopment disorder among the children. This contributes to the chances of getting autism. Modern diet has been blamed to lack key nutrients. Most of the food lack Zinc, selenium and some vitamins such as Vit D and B212 which leads to poor neural development which contributes to weak cell membranes. The weakness becomes severe when combined with the antigens and toxins from the environment. Antigens attacks venerable cells and damage them making them unable to function properly. The antigens lead to changes in cell expression, making it to malfunction (Seung et al. 2007). Having abnormal methylation may also contribute to the genetic expression being taking place abnormally. This is through interfering with metallothionein protein which is responsible for regulation of the zinc copper rations in the cells. Having impaired cell structures have the capability to affect the gastrointestinal and central nervous system (White, 2003). A study done proved that some of the bacteria are capable of producing amines. Having overgrown bacteria can lead to production of more amines, which have the capability of affecting the brain functioning. Having amines can lead to effects on the brain signals and affect learning, attention and the person moods (Gillberg & Coleman, 2000). When this happens to brain that is developing, it has serious implications which can result in autism. Some of the bacteria have the capability of producing lipopolysacchrides which leads to brain disruptions. This affects the person’s memory, learning and attention. Research has also associated autism with maternal diet. The neural development have been associated with the transportation of the folates though the blood to brain carrier. The findings show that autism is a biological condition that is caused by a number of causes which acts together. Despite this, genetic factors play a major role in autism. Studies have shown that the condition involves interaction of at least three genes. The chances of getting an autism in males are high than female (White, 2003). Effects Social interaction Autism is exhibited by problems with social interactions. At early age, the child has problems with understanding and responding to facial expressions and gestures. The child has low or shows lack of social emotions and their response is low. There are signs of poor reciprocity and the children rarely share there joy or look for comfort from their parents. For the children with autism, they lack friends of their age and if they have faces difficulty in keeping them (Gillberg & Coleman, 2000). Communication People with autism take long to develop language and are not keen in using non verbal means of communication. Statistics shows that almost half of the children with autism do not develop speech and there is a variation in those who do where some only use single words. Some of those who develop speech are found to use irrelevant phrases and in some cases repeat what others have said. Despite this, there is a small group that is able to develop speech and talk coherently. Despite variations in developing speech, all have a major problem in maintaining a conversation. There is also a poor understanding of the language deeper meanings. The main problem with their communication is the fact that they have a fixed interpretation which in most cases is literal (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). Behaviour Autism leads to children being involved in behaviours which are repetitive and stereotype. For example, a child with autism may engage in one role in a game time and time again and rarely change the role. Being fixated in different types of objects is common among the autism patients (Weber & Newmark, 2007). The person may become fixated in a complicated routine and repeat it many times the same way. There are cases of range and despair if the person fails in repeating the routine in a specific way. People with autism are not tolerant to change and any change from the order may lead to an outburst. For those who are gifted, it is common for them to have a one sided interest. Children with autism are known to have an obsession with waving hands or tiptoeing. In addition, those diagnosed with autism exhibits oversensitivity or under sensitivity with different sounds or things. There are also issues with being hyperactive and eating disorders (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). Disruptive behaviour Autism is in some instances associated with disruptive behaviour such as being noisy, abusive or impatient (Weber & Newmark, 2007). There are also cases of being stubborn and inflicting self injuries which makes them hard to be handled by teachers or health personnel. In schools, the disruptive behaviour leads to autism students losing productive learning time. This leads to autism students to be taken to more restricted special schools. Some of the parents are forced to put their children to respite care or other care centres due to their behaviour (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). Anxiety Research has proved that young people diagnosed with autism exhibits high level of anxiety (Weber & Newmark, 2007). For example, some of the autism individuals’ exhibit fear of being separated from those they know, phobias and are not ready to change. There are also cases of panic and tension and irritation without any reason. These symptoms have the capability to affect their social interaction as well as their education. Knowing the cause of anxiety for an autism child is very vital as it enables ease of management (Fombonne, 2003). Depression Adults who are diagnosed with autism suffer a lot from depression and mood. There are also high likelihood of sleeplessness and loss of appetite. In some cases, autism individuals are at high chances of having suicidal thoughts and compulsive behaviours. The main effects of depression are seen in their education and judgement. This further leads to poor social interactions with others and low quality of life (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Poor or lack of concentration lacks of planning and over activity are common especially among the young but decreases as they grow. This affects the individuals in their learning and interactions with other people (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). As the autism patient gets older, there are changes in the symptoms. Studies done have shown that the patient improves form childhood to adolescence and adulthood. For the adolescence, they are less impaired by the condition as compared with the adults in some aspects. The adult with autism are more improved in speech and interests. For autism patients who are able to receive treatment when young, they showed great improvements as adults as compared to those who did not receive (Weber & Newmark, 2007). This shows that addressing the problem of autism early during childhood can lead to improved aspects as an adolescence or adult. Treatment There is no known cure to autism (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Most of the methods used on autism are therapies which have been developed over the years. Currently, the methods used in treatment of the condition are based on multi disciplinary approach through early intervention, communication skills, managing behaviour, and use of psychotropic therapy (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Behavioural approach This method has been used for a long time successfully in treating and managing young people with autism. The method leads to reduced difficult behaviour among autism individuals and leads to improved social and communication skills. The method is composed of traditional approaches, understanding the communicative function (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Traditional approach This involves studying the target behaviour and environment manipulated. For those with autism, there are a set of procedures that are provided to be used in minimising the obsessions. The methods used are aimed at increasing the behavioural competencies such as language or social skills. Those infected are taught new skills while behaviours which are undesirable are suppressed. New behaviour among the autism individuals are increased using the following ways (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Positive reinforcement This method is considered to be the easiest and mostly used. The method involves making sure that the desired behaviour is always followed by occurrence of a desirable event. This makes it possible for the autism individual to repeat the desirable behaviour. The main trick that is used in this method is finding out what the autism child likes most (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Time out The method has been effective in eliminating undesirable behaviour among autism children. The method involves the fact that people are happy when they are rewarded with a positive feedback due to positive behaviour. If the child participates in undesirable behaviour, they are denied attention and isolated for a time. The success of this method occurs only if the child is able to differentiate the two events and their consequences (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Time out has proved to be effective to briefly separate the child from the parent to allow time for cooling out. The child and the parent are given ample time in order to think on the way to respond. Prompting The method is used in teaching a new behaviour that does not exist. The method may use physical prompts to instil the new behaviour. For example, the parent may want to teach an autism child not to eat using hands. There are also use of verbal instructions and pointing. As time progresses, physical prompting becomes unnecessary and verbal prompt is used. Shaping This method involves use of encouragement and using approximations for the child to learn new behaviours. The child is expected to learn gradually in small steps. The method is very important for children as it does not require the child to have any level of speech. The method can succeed without use of speech and only needs the child to be able to imitate (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Chaining Chaining is a method that is applied in teaching complex behaviours through breaking them into small steps. The method involves use of successive steps and after each step is understood, another one is taught. The steps are meant to be taught in a set logical order. For the autism children, steps such as dressing are learned using this method. The method ensures that the child is not overwhelmed by the instructions by breaking them down in small steps. The method has proved to help the autism children as they learn new skills (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Understanding the communicative function The method tries to understand the purpose of a particular behaviour that is exhibited by an autism person. The method looks at the environmental factors and the individual factors. Each of the behaviour that an autism individual exhibits has a communicative function. For example, an autism individual may injure themselves in order to attract attention. The individual may also exhibit the dame behaviour in order to get some stimulation (Green et al. 2006). If the communicative behaviour of the person have been well identified, it becomes easier to teach them a behaviour that can substitute it and easier to communicate with. Early intervention Early intervention involves use of home and school based programmes, use of specialist and intervention for 4 to 40 hours. The treatments have been associated with improved speech, play and social behaviour. The method uses special education and behavioural techniques. The method though have good results is demanding and intensive. This leads to the need for support to those who carries it at home setting. The use of behavioural intervention has been proved to increase the IQ of those involved (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Special education These are special teaching programmes that are designed by teachers and associated with problem solving. The method uses the child cognitive profile needs in design. For children with good visual skills needs to be taught using visual based methods. The ability of the autism child to respond to the method is based on the level of intellectual impairment as well as language. If the child has good intellectual ability, they can be mixed into mainstream schools (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Augmentive communication This is a method that is aimed to help those without verbal communication to communicate using other means. The method increases the power to communicate for the autism individual. Use of visual systems is advocated by this method. The child is well accessed to determine which method of communication suits them best. The level of cognitive ability for the autism individual will determine the type of system used. The method comprises systems such as Compic and photographs (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Signing This one of the oldest non verbal method used on autism children. The first system of signing for intellectual disability was developed in 1980s (Weber & Newmark, 2007). The method used is less difficult and does not involve use of difficult finger spelling. Most of the signs that are learnt at first involve use of a single hand. The main benefit of signs is the fact that they do not require a lot of equipment and the child do not need anything to carry. The method encourages the child to develop speech. The main problem lies on the fact that not many people in the society understand sign language. This means that children may still face difficulty in being understood (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Computer generated pictures These are simple and clear line drawings which stand for different objects, feelings and actions. The method is used with children who points at pictures to indicate what they want. When the child has full understanding of the pictures, they are given picture wallets. The picture wallets are used to indicate what the child need. The children are then able to understand and use pictures as a way of expressing their needs. The method can also be used by the children who have low recognition skills (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Objects Objects are used in the same manner as the photographs. Objects can be used to represent activities and events. The objects can be used by the child as long as they want and returned. For example, a lunch box can be used to demonstrate the time for lunch or having snack (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). Social skills Due to poor social skills, autism individuals find it hard to function properly. The methods that are applied in treating social difficulties vary depending on the needs of the individual determined by age, cognitive ability and the type of social impairment. The methods covers areas such as social isolation, ability to understand others, emotional stability and imagination. As the children get older, they are taught using picture scripts, social stories, and social skill groups (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). Pharmacotherapy This is a medication approach that involves a management plan to improve the communication, social skills, behaviour and education. There have been proving that some of the drugs have worked in treating various behaviour symptoms. Despite this, drugs should only be used after assessment has been done. Since most of the drugs are used in experimental phase, it is recommended to use checklist in order to track the improvements. There is also need to know the associated side effects on the drug and all involved with the autism person should be involved. Among the known medicine are Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and Neuroleptics (Weber & Newmark, 2007). Other methods There have been claims that replacement of the needed vitamins and minerals can help in managing the condition. Fish oil have been claimed to be helpful in the recovery process. These claims are all related to the findings that some of the foods are responsible for autism due to pesticides and other environmental toxins. Since most of the child has been exposed to toxins from the food, eliminating these toxins can be of great help (Gillberg & Coleman, 2000). After eliminating the toxins and giving enzymes, vitamins and minerals, the methylation defects are addressed. This is through use of other intermediaries such as methylated folic acid and dimethylglycine. There has also been treatment based on immune balancing and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It has been proved that oxytocian have the capability of leading to improved social abilities. Mood and muscle tone have been tested to be improved by use of carnitine. The process of recovery using this method involves a lot of hard work and dedication (Seung et al. 2007). For the parents and carers of the autism children, there is need for dedication and perseverance. Challenges Culture plays a major role in treatment of autism (Gillberg & Coleman, 2000). This is due to several aspects of culture that affects the way the condition is handled. Beliefs about the cause of the condition have great effects on how the condition is handled. If the family have a belief of the disease being caused by problems associated with the gastrointestinal medications, they may prefer to use secretin and other treatment such as antifungal agents. There are those families that believe that the condition is a result of heavy metal toxity. For this group, the likelihood to use chelation and detoxification agents is high. The decisions made by the families on autism are also affected by the beliefs. If the family beliefs that the condition cannot be cured, they may do very little to alleviate it while those who believes it can be cured may be involved in a variety of treatment methods. Also, in some cultures, there are delays on seeking any help on autism by the family (Fombonne, 2003). Culture interactions with the health care have a profound effect on how the condition is handled. For example, ethnic minorities have low access to healthcare as compared to other groups. This may lead them to delay in seeking help for the autism children. For example, a study done in America proved that white child was more likely to get medical help at an earlier age than their African-American counterparts. There are also fewer number of hospital visits for the African American as compared to their white counterparts. For most families, they are not ready to meet the needs for the autism children. The autism children thus find it hard to obtain the required care as compared to their healthy counterparts. In some communities, there are no services for treating the autism children. This has led to ethnic disparity in treating ASD. The goal of most of the treatments used on autism is not to treat the condition but to address the problems that are associated with it (Fombonne, 2003). For example, some of the drugs used are meant to treat sleep disturbance among the patients. An autism child may be given gastrointestinal medicines with an aim of treat intestinal distress. For most of the parents, they are more likely to respond well if their beliefs are respected (Sturmey & Fitzer, 2007). Conclusion Autism is a condition which consists of severe impairment in vital areas of development. The condition is diagnosed at the age of 3 years when the behavioural symptoms are observed. The symptoms associated with the condition are poor communication skills, lack of social skills and behavioural. For most of the autism children, they have poor intelligence due to mental retardation. The cause of autism is not yet well known. Despite this, the condition has been associated with a range of factors working together. Genetic factors combined with other aspects affect the developing brain ability to handle the information. This makes autism to be defined as a neurodevelopment disorder. Autism is presented by poor social interactions, poor communication and restricted range of behaviours. The condition varies from one person to another and from mild to severe. Autism is described as a lifelong condition. There is no cure for the condition. Despite this, there are several ways in which the condition is managed. Early intervention, assessing and diagnosing is the first step toward managing autism. The child should then be put in a specially adapted environment to help in their growth. Several approaches used to address autism are behavioural approach, early intervention, special education, communication skills program, social skills program and pharmacotherapy. With proper intervention, it is possible to manage the condition. References Benayed, R. & Gharani, N. (2005). Support for the homeobox transcription factor gene ENGRAILED 2 as an autism spectrum disorder susceptibility locus. American Journal of Human Genetics, 77(5): 851-68. Gillberg, C., & Coleman, M. (2000). The Biology of the autistic syndromes. London: Mac Keith Press. Green, V., Pituch, K., Itchon, J., Choi, A., O’Reilly, M., & Sigafoos, J. (2006). Internet survey of treatments used by parents of children with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 27(1), 70-84. Fombonne, E. (2003). Epidemiological surveys of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders: an update. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33(4), 365-382. Seung, H., Rogalski, Y., Shankar, M., & Elder, J. (2007). The gluten- and casein-free diet and autism: Communication outcomes from a preliminary double-blind. Clinical trial. Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology, 15, 337-345. Sturmey, P. & Fitzer, A. (2007). Autism spectrum disorders: Applied behavior analysis, evidence, and practice. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. Weber, W. & Newmark, S. (2007). Complementary and alternative medical therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism. Pediatric Clinic North America, 54(6): 983-1006. White, J. F. (2003). Intestinal pathophysiology in autism. Expriemental Biology Medicine (Maywood), 228(6): 639-49. Read More