Autism as a Neurobiological Disorder - Essay Example

This new study suggests that the rate of autism in the United States may be much higher since it is a fact that autism is on the rise and is growing every year at an approximate rate of 10%.

Autism is more than three times more likely to occur among boys than in girls. The exact cause of autism is unknown to the medical community, but there is a variety of factors that combined could be causing the disease. Some of the possible causes of autism include diet, digestive tract changes, mercury poisoning, vaccine sensitivity, and the body’s inability to properly use vitamins and minerals (Ncbi, 2010). Children born with autism require a lot of care and attention. People with autism have problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and with any type of social interaction. They don’t like when their daily routines are changed and often perform repeated movements with different parts of their bodies particularly their hands. Their senses often become extremely sensitive, thus strong odors and loud noises cause distress among autism patients.

Autism is not diagnosed at birth, since the disease takes several years to become detectable. Pediatricians must perform routine developmental exams in babies and young children to screen them out for the possibility of having autism. There are certain developments milestones that if not met can be a cause of concern. Five of those development criteria are listed below:
1. Babbling by 12 months
2. Gesturing by 12 months
3. Speaking single words by 16 months
4. Saying two-word spontaneous phrases by 24 months
5. Losing any language or social skills at any age
(Ncbi, 2011).

Once a child does not meet one of these criteria a doctor must perform further evaluations and tests to determine if the child suffers from autism. Pediatricians may perform blood lead tests, hearing exams, autism screening questionnaires, or checklist for autism in toddlers test to detect for autism. Often these tests are not sufficient to diagnose autism and pediatricians must refer the patient to other specialists to test the child’s communication, language, motor skills, speech, success at school, and thinking abilities to ensure a child has autism (Ncbi, 2011).

There are important facts that must be considered in regards to autism treatment. First, there is no cure for autism and secondly, there is no standard treatment protocol that must be followed when treating autism as different treatments work differently on patients. The objective of autism treatment and therapies is to lessen the symptoms of the disease. In regards to prescription pills, autistic patients are often given stimulants, antidepressants, and antipsychotic drugs. Often the use of drugs instead of helping the autism patient makes their condition worse. The therapeutic approach of using alternative medicine is recommended by physicians for all autism patients particularly those patients that have adverse reactions to drugs. Autism patients should visit a nutritionist since they have specific dietary needs. A proper diet can improve the quality of life of an autistic patient. Children and teenagers with autism should be placed in special education programs for disabled people because a regular classroom environment can be detrimental to their condition. Chelation therapy was often used to treat autism, but this method has come under scrutiny by the FDA in recent years. The use of physical therapy can help autistic patients control their involuntary body movements such as repetitive hand gestures. Nonmedical interventions have proven effective for autistic patients. Including music and art during therapies is used for sensory integration (Autism-society).