Autism

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, autism is not a disease but a developmental disorder of brain function (6:1). People with classical autism show three types of symptoms: impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and imagination, and unusual or severely limited activities and interests (6:1, 12:1). This paper will look at the physiological aspects of autism and where research in this area stands today.

Autism affects an estimated two to 10 of every 10,000 people, depending on the diagnostic criteria used (6, 12). Autism strikes males about four times as often as females, and has been found throughout the world in people of all racial and social backgrounds (6, 12). Symptoms of autism usually appear during the first three years of childhood and continue throughout life. Seventeen infants in a movement analysis study showed disturbances of movement that could be detected clearly at the age of four to six months of age (10:13982-7). These researchers believe that movement disturbances play an intrinsic role in the phenomenon of autism and can be used to diagnose autism in the first few months of life.

Autism varies a great deal in severity, the most severe cases being marked by extremely repetitive, unusual, self-injurious, and aggressive behavior, which may persist over time and prove very difficult to change (6:1). The mildest forms resemble a personality disorder associated with a perceiv

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rsolateral prefrontal cortex on a series of theory of mind tasks varying in difficulty. Bilateral orbito-frontal patients performed similarly to individuals with Asperger's syndrome, performing on simpler tests and showing deficits on tasks requiring more subtle social reasoning, such as the ability to recognize a faux pas. In contrast, no specific theory of mind deficits were evident in the unilateral dorsolateral prefrontal lesion patients. This study suggests that autistic patients may have bilateral orbito-frontal malformations. Wu (13) reported on a study showing that autistic people have larger than average brains, pointing to a possible genetic cause in early brain development that leads to the condition. Wu reports on a study by Joseph Piven at the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City who used magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 22 autistic males ranging in age from 13 to 29. Magnetic resonance imaging provides snapshot "slices" of the brain at specific depths, and scientists can reassemble these to form a three-dimensional picture. From these reconstructions, the researchers calculated the total volume of the brain, as well as the volume of brain tissue and of the lateral ventricles.

Category: Psychology - A