Understanding and Accepting Autism

By Kavya Gurunath, Edited by Aarav Navani, Inchara J & Ashmita Annamalai, Layout By Leesha Pilla, Art By Sahithi Lingampalli, & Blogged By Taruni Manam

April is Autism Awareness month. A month where people champion the acceptance and support of people with autism. This article is intended to spread understanding on Autism Spectrum Disorder.

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder. Individuals affected by ASD have difficulties with social interaction, speaking, non-verbal communication and tend to exhibit repetitive behaviors. However, the symptoms of ASD vary by person. According to the CDC, one in every 59 people have autism.

What is Autism Caused by?

There is no one, definite cause of autism. Autism tends to be caused by a combination of various genetic and environmental factors. These factors simply increase the risk of having autism. Not everyone affected by these factors will have autism.

Genetic Factors

Gene changes resulting in autism can be inherited from parents. It is not required for the parent to have autism in order for their child to have autism. Gene changes can also occur in embryos while development occurs. Currently, scientists have identified 100 genes linked to autism. Many of these genes are important for communication between neurons or affect how other genes are expressed. A mutation in one of these genes could increase the risk of autism. Common mutations are present in 1% or more of the population that tend to have less of an effect, though many of these together could result in autism. Rare mutations, which less than 1% of the population acquire, have a strong effect and more of these are linked to autism.

Environmental Factors

Many environmental factors affect the risk of developing autism. Older parents, birth complications, pregnancy complications and multiple pregnancies all increase the risk of the child developing autism.

How Does Autism Affect the Brain?

Although autism affects early brain development, neuron communication, and communication between different parts of the brain overall, it affects every person differently. Therefore, there is no single pattern to how autism changes the brain. We can only observe trends on how the brains of people with autism differ from people without autism. Children with autism could have an enlarged hippocampus. The hippocampus is the area of the brain that stores and forms memories. The enlarged hippocampus could cause difficulty in using memories to make decisions and repetitive movements in people with autism. People affected with autism may have a different amygdala size. Some studies say that the amygdala is larger than usual, while some say it is smaller. The amygdala controls emotions and memories. It is also important in social function. Amygdala size and functioning problems could lead to autism. People with autism also have more brain tissue cerebellum, which helps in cognition and social interaction.

What are Autism Spectrum Disorders?

Autism Spectrum Disorder is an umbrella term that includes different disorders, all with varying levels of challenges in social interaction, communication, and behavior.

1) Asperger’s Syndrome - Asperger’s is milder when compared to the other ASDs. People with Asperger’s can handle day-to-day life and can be very intelligent. They have social struggles and become obsessed with topics that interest them.

2) Pervasive Developmental Disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) - This disorder is more severe than Asperger’s but milder than the autistic disorder.

3) Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) - This is the severe end of the spectrum and is the rarest. Children affected by this disorder develop normally and then rapidly lose social, mental, and language skills (Hoffman, 2016).

People affected by autism deserve kindness and respect. They may be different, but they are incredible, unique, and powerful. Hopefully, this article gave you more of an understanding of autism and the people who are affected by it. Please treat everyone with empathy and spread kindness always but especially on Autism Awareness month.

References:

Askham, A. V. (2021, February 4). Brain structure changes in autism, explained. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/brain-structure-changes-in-autism-explained/ DeWeerdt, S. (2018, May 30). Memory hub could underlie social, cognitive quirks of autism. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/memory-hub-underlie-social-cognitive-quirks-autism/ DeWeerdt, S. (2020, August 6). Amygdala, the brain’s threat detector, has broad roles in autism. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/amygdala-the-brains-threat-detector-has-broad-roles-in-autism/ Hoffman, M. (2016, December 30). What Are the Types of Autism Spectrum Disorders? WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/autism-spectrum-disorders What Causes Autism? (n.d.). Autism Speaks. Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-causes-autism What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder? (n.d.). American Psychiatric Association. Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/autism/what-is-autism-spectrum-disorder Zeliadt, N. (2021, January 8). Autism genetics, explained. Spectrum | Autism Research News. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autism-genetics-explained/

By Sahithi Lingampalli