Autism

Autistic people have always held autism as one of their strengths, helping them focus and delve deeper into the particular area they care about. According to the CDC, around 1 in 44 kids have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Out of the kids diagnosed with autism, there are 4 times more boys than girls. The reason for this is also unsure, but it may be because of an underdiagnosis of girls.

There are no clear reasons or origins for autism disorder, but there are several common factors that can be seen to possibly contribute to autism. Among these include parents having the kid at an old age, sickness, infection during pregnancy, and also premature birth. Many people have suspected that a huge number of childhood vaccinations may have caused autistic symptoms, but this saying has been debunked by hundreds of studies. Scientists have tried to find the reason for autism genetically, but they have found for each case many different genes worked together to cause the autism the child had, each child having different complex combinations. There has not been a specific genetic reason found yet. Autism has been said to be at least some part genetic since in a pair of identical twins, it has been found that if one twin has autism, the other twin has a 50% chance of also having autism. Those with older siblings that have autism almost have a 20% chance of also having autism.

At what age can autism be detected? There are autistic behaviors shown as early as 2 years of age, but most kids are not diagnosed until they are around four and a half years old.

As for cures, there have not been any medications found to cure autism. There are medications to relieve autism symptoms like oxytocin to improve social bonding. But rather than medicine, behavioral treatment has been found most useful for autistic kids and improving their conditions. The earlier the intervention for autism, the better is it for the child.

(Source: BrainFacts)