EVALUATING POPULAR PRESS VS. JOURNAL ARTICLES - Essay Example

Evaluating Popular Press Vs. Journal Articles The psychiatry journal article Genetic Heritability and Shared Environmental Factors Among Twin Pairs With Autism, describes the ratio of effects of shared environment and genetic heritability of autism according to a twin study. This complex neurodevelopmental disorder or autism hinders the standard way of social, cognitive and communicative growth of any child. It is diagnosed within the three years of early childhood, but according to evidence, symptoms of autism tend to become visible before the first birthday of a child.

Currently 40 per 10,000 children have been affected by autism and 1% children by Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Thus, environmental factor’s contribution towards autism is 55% and 58% towards ASDs. However, the surprising fact was the genetic hereditability which was 37% for autism and 38% for ASDs. Therefore, receptiveness to ASDs is due to sufficient amount of genetic heritability and also larger contribution of shared twin environment. Prenatal and postnatal environment affect twins and triggers susceptibility for autism in them.

Non-genetic risk factors which may be influenced by environment are low birth weight, age of parents, infection during pregnancy and several births (Hallmayer et al., 2011). The article of New York Times New Study Implicates Environmental Factors in Autism, a study of twin, propose that autism is not only dependent on gene to form, but environmental factors and conditions in womb are equally important for neurodevelopment of a child. Thus, recent research has ascertained that 1% children of developed world are affected by autism.

According to Dr Peter Szatmari and Dr. Jaochim Hallmayer, genetic factors along with unknown environmental factors become a cause of autism. Therefore, gene contribution in autism is 38% and environmental factors contribution is up-till 58%. Hence, recent study of autism also stresses the relationship of gene and environment to understand the impact of environmental factors on gene. It also addresses the need of prenatal and perinatal care of women, which contribute as a major cause of autism susceptibility.

This article also emphasis on the antidepressants, which pregnant women take before or during their pregnancy, which became an active cause of autism in their children (Tarkan, 2011). Both the articles contain valid information regarding autism and ASDs which was an accumulated result of a study held by California Autism Twins Study. The psychiatry article describes in detail the methodology and findings of study on 192 pair of twins regarding ASDs and strict autism. It narrows down the result according to the sex and thus, describes the ratio of monozygotic and dizygotic twins and their tendencies for ASDs and strict autism.

The article also provides a base for generalizable results of ASDs and autism due to high diverse ethnic rate of California’s population. On the other hand, Laurie Tarkan article is more simplified and comprehend able version of facts, figures, and of the ratios. It also describes factors affecting autism, but she has also merged two different results of ASDs and strict autism into one i.e. autism. She further adds on the negative impact of antidepressant on pregnancy in post and prenatal stages.

References Top of FormBottom of FormTop of FormHallmayer, J., Cleveland, S., Torres, A., Phillips, J., Lotspeich, L., Cohen, B., Torigoe, T., Ozonoff, S. (November 01, 2011). Genetic heritability and shared environmental factors among twin pairs with autism. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68, 11, 1095-1102.  Tarkan, Laurie, 2011. New Study Implicates Environmental Factors in Autism. The New York Times, [Online]. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/health/research/05autism.html?

_r=2&[Accessed 20 November 2012]. Bottom of Form