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Autism May Begin in the Gut, and Antibiotics Could Be Involved
Diagnosing and remedying developmental disorders are now centered in an otherwise unusual place — the gut, not the brain.
Individuals who have been diagnosed with anything on the autism spectrum have been object of both ridicule and enthrallment, the breath of which is astounding to everyone, including those with this diagnosis. Only in the past few decades have we come to see the diagnosis as multifactorial, including both those who have problematic social skills as well as those who can view the world in new, creative ways.
Some of these individuals have achieved extraordinary roles in our culture and climbed to the highest heights regarding creativity and management responsibilities. Therefore, we need to respect everyone with a diagnosis of autism as an individual and not simply a diagnosis.
Although there is no one known cause or pathophysiology for autism, present diagnostic criteria are associated with around 200 hereditary and environmental factors. Hundreds of different patterns of restricted and repetitive interests and activities, as well as persistent difficulties in social communication and interaction, are permissible under the current DSM-5 criteria for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This broad phenotypic variation has caused numerous researchers to doubt the ASD…
