Recent Autism Research

Neither my daughter’s father nor I have autism, and thankfully I don’t think my daughter has it, but research on it is something to which I try to pay attention because I interact with people with autism and because it seems to be an important societal issue. The rates of autism have been rising in recent decades, and I think it’s important for us to figure out why that is. I don’t want to get into a full discussion here about autism since I think other sources do a good job of introducing the topic. I do, however, want to share some of the science that I’ve seen on the issue recently. Science is just plain nifty.

An article by Josie Glausiusz brings up the link between autism in children and the mother’s inadvertent consumption of pesticides while pregnant.

Relating to earlier detection of autism, recent studies have found intriguing connections between autism, sense of touch, and the possibility of very early detection of autism. Nerves only found under the skin of hairy parts of the body (ex. arms) are associated with emotion processing areas of the brain, and these nerves have been the focus of many autism studies. Examining how these nerves respond in very young children could lead to early detection of autism. I found it fascinating that hairy parts of the body are associated with emotional responses whereas when hairless areas of the body, like the palm, are stroked, non-emotional areas of the brain are stimulated. Perhaps this is why we shake hands rather than rub forearms; the emotional response in our brains might create an emotional connection to someone we just met when we need to be more emotionless, focused on the task at hand. I wonder how that might change diplomatic interactions…

Sources and Further Reading:

• “Autism Fact Sheet.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. September 2009. NIH Publication №09–1877. Web. Accessed 23 July 2014.
• Eck, Allison. “Clue to Autism May Lurk in Sensory Nerves in Our Skin.” PBS NovaNext. WGBH Eduational Foundation, 2014. Web. 23 July 2014.
• Glausiusz, Josie. “Autism: The Pesticides on Our Food.” The American Scholar. Phi Beta Kappa. 2014. Web. 23 July 2014.
• Hughes, Virginia. “The Roots of Autism are in the… Skin?” National Geographic. National Geographic, 21 May 2014. Web. 23 July 2014.
• Park, Alice. “U.S. Autism Rates Jump 30% From 2012.” Time.Com (2014): 1. Business Source Complete. Web. 23 July 2014.
• Ramisch, Julie, Esther Onaga, and Su Oh. “Keeping A Sound Marriage: How Couples With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders Maintain Their Marriages.” Journal Of Child & Family Studies 23.6 (2014): 975–988. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July 2014.
• Sandin, Sven, et al. “The Familial Risk Of Autism.” JAMA: Journal Of The American Medical Association 311.17 (2014): 1770. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 23 July 2014.
• Zylstra, Robert G., et al. “AUTISM Why The Rise In Rates?” Journal Of Family Practice 63.6 (2014): 316–320. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 July 2014.