Treatment of Autism - Research Paper Example

Autism Autism or more specifically, autism spectrum disorder (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that affect brain development in children. Symptoms become visible when a child is still young and diagnosis usually occurs at around age 3. However, in other children, autism can be identified as young as 18 months of age. Autism affects various aspects of human brain development. Children with autism are characterized by impaired social skills and difficulty in speaking and understanding, in a way that is atypical of their age (Freedman, 4). Children having difficulty in socializing with other classmates, making friends, and preferring to play alone may indicate signs of autism. This is followed by a repetitive and restricted behavior in children such as rocking, squirming, tapping, and fidgeting (Fuentes, 1). According to Jill Boucher, autism could have existed in human populations since the start (4). However it was not until the mid 19th century when it was recognized as a distinct disorder when Leo Kanner published a scientific paper titled ‘Autistic disturbances of affective contact’ and subsequently another paper by Hans Asperger on the same subject was published (Boucher, 4). People with severe autism were described as “simpletons”, “imbeciles” or “feeble minded” (Boucher, 4). Those with mild autism or Asperger syndrome were considered withdrawn. The autism spectrum syndromes consist of Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) (Boucher, 5). Currently, there is no single known cause for autism however a collection of factors including – genetic, environmental, and induced causes – are thought to contribute towards autism in children (Mayo Clinic, n.pag.). This paper will aim to create a distinction between fact and speculation regarding the causes that are real and those that are not. With the absence of a definitive etiology of the disorder, various theories have been presented that explain the relationship between autism and other factors. Genes are considered to be one causal factor contributing towards autism among children. The involvement of genetics as a causal factor was first made by Kanner in his original documentation of the disorder. In his work, Kanner suggested the involvement of parents in passing it on to children however he strongly proposed the involvement of one’s physiological defects (Schreibman, 90). It took many years before the genetic etiological link was explored and established. Recent theories that have studied the genetic involvement provide evidence that relate genes to autism. The findings suggest siblings of autistic children have a great likelihood of having autism and the risk has increases significantly over the years. The concordance rates of monozygotic twins, also called identical twins, have also shown a similar trend with the rate ranging from 60 to 90 percent. In contrast, dizygotic twins, also called fraternal twins, have reported concordance rates of less than 10 percent. The concordance rates therefore suggest that monozygotic twins – who essentially share the same genes – have a greater probability of being prone to autism while dyzygotic twins – who do not share the same genes – have a lesser likelihood of autism. Although various research studies into the matter have explained the role of genes, the genetic predisposition involved many environmental determinants which cannot be ignored. Rett syndrome and fragile X syndrome are the most common ASDs that are associated with having a genetic link. Other genetic connections contribute towards increase in the environmental risks associated with autism (May Clinic, n.pag.). Abnormality in the cerebellum development is frequently documented and upon abnormality, a diagnosis is carried out. Treatment involves training and reducing one’s exposure to the risk factors. Various environmental causes have also been hypothesized or theorized as relating to autism. One of them is the development of autism in fetuses during pregnancy. A detailed report by Stoner et al. (2014) has revealed that “patches of disorganization” in the brain develop in children with autism. This study is an important document explaining the hypothesis that brain developmental inhibition may start as early as during pregnancy. The impairment is mainly characterized by disrupted brain development in the prefrontal cortex. The main cause behind this is considered to be a collection of genetic and environmental factors that are yet unknown. Vaccines are also known to cause autism among children. In particular the link between MMR vaccines and autism was first noted by Dr. Wakefield in his report. The report was highly publicized and received quite much coverage. It even scared some parents whose children had gotten the vaccine before the development of autism sowed its signs (Schriebman, 102). As a result of the Wakefield report, many parents have stopped getting their children inoculated with the MMR vaccine. Lack of MMR vaccination threatens to expose children to the risk of critical diseases. More studied have, however, found out a negative relationship between MMR vaccines and autism deeming the connection a mere hypothesis (Schreibman, 102). A number of chemical agents are also believed to cause autism, although not independently, but in combination with several other factors. Chemicals work to inhibit brain development and cause learning difficulties. Many have suggested the role of parents in inducing autism in their children. For example, lack of significant eye contact between the parent and child is believed to be related with autism among children. However, the evidences for induced autism are not sufficient. It could be that the social environment discourages much human contact thereby inducing developmental dysfunction in children. This could broadly involve the psychogenic causal factor involved in autism. The psychogenic theory calls for the consideration of a child’s childhood and his interaction with parents. This theory lays a great emphasis on childhood experiences as contributing to the development of autism in a child. Hence, the child’s social experiences are of vital importance in determining any incidences that led to the exhibited behavior disorders. Parental affection is essential part of normal child development and lack of its believed to be connected with brain development in children with autism who also seem socially withdrawn. Problems in communication and social development are some aspects of lacking the right interaction with parents at childhood that could explain parentally induced autism. Such potential causes have been pointed out by Kanner however he himself recognized that parents were not the only causes of causing the disorder (Schreibman, 77). However, the disorder is the result of many collective factors including environmental and genetic that function to inhibit normal brain development. Therefore, although many have hypothesized the relationship between psychogenic factors such as lack of parental affection or normal childhood interactions, these factors may actually only be facilitators and not the actual causes. Autism is a very tragic disorder. Its prevalence among children is distressing. Every three child out of five in every thousand children is affected by autism. Over the years, the rate has shot up prompting measures for treating autism in children. The genetic component of autism has allowed researchers to develop better treatments for the disorder in the future apart from training programs and therapies. Developing medications in order to replace malfunctioning brain cells is being considered by medical scientists. This would involve replacement of the normal brain cells so as to make up for the faulty genes. Also, in many cases, a technology could be developed that would remove malfunctioning genes and replace them with the right genes. However in order to do this, researchers will have to identify the exact genes that are involved and are causing the faulty development. Also, another important point which cannot be ignored is the ethical dimension of any gene therapy which involves many potentially unknown risks. Gene technology is at its infant stage due to moral restrictions on the kind of operations allowed to be executed. In present, treatment involves taking care of the associated symptoms and conditions. Intervention involves administration of medicines and/or behavioral treatment so as to address the conditions. Hence, treatment at the present involves addressing the symptoms although research can enhance treatment in the future. Development of a single, definitive treatment for autism spectrum disorders is complicated by the presence of various causative factors for the condition. There are a plethora of researchers present that like autism with various causes and variables. However, none of them has proven to be a breakthrough aiding the development of a definite treatment. At the present moment, it seems that therapies will continue to dominate the treatment stage concerned with autism. In an interview, Laura Schreibman (2012) affirms the variable nature of autism treatments because there exists many number of intervention techniques. Not all children may respond well for a specific treatment methodology while others may respond very well to the same technique. Hence, this has pointed researchers towards the need for an individualized treatment methodology that is tailored for a particular individual suffering from autism. Since the causes are various with little scope of being definite, individualized care is expected to answer the questions surrounding autism treatment. Most treatment methods to date revolved around behavioral treatment of the symptoms. There is no “cure” for autism or a single best treatment which has prompted researchers to consider individualized treatment as the future of autism treatment. References Boucher, J. (2009). The autistic spectrum (1st ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE. Freedman, J. (2009). Autism (1st ed.). New York, NY: Rosen Pub. Fuentes, C. (2007). Autism (1st ed.). United States: LuLu.com. Mayo Clinic,. (2014). Autism spectrum disorder Causes. Retrieved 13 September 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/basics/causes/con-20021148 Schreibman, L. (2005). The science and fiction of autism (1st ed.). Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. Schreibman, L. (2012). Individualized Treatments Are Future of Autism Therapies, According to Psychologist. Interviewed by American Psychological Association. Retrieved 28 September 2014, http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2012/04/autism-therapies.aspx Stoner, R., Chow, M., Boyle, M., Sunkin, S., Mouton, P., & Roy, S. et al. (2014). Patches of Disorganization in the Neocortex of Children with Autism. New England Journal Of Medicine,370(13), 1209--1219. Read More