The Psychodevelopmental Disorder (ASD)

The pathology underlying the condition is related to the physiological process of the brain with environmental, psychological neurological and other health conditions (NHS choice, 2013). Hypothesis stated that environmental agent’s exposure to the mother while pregnant may contribute to the child’s development of ASD (NIH, 2015).

Autism, what is autism? What are the causes and if its nature or nurture based? I am here to shed light on Autism. According to Autismspeaks.org, “Autism is known as a complex disorder of brain development. These disorders are characterized into different degrees by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and repetitive behaviors”. Autism appears to emerge with in 2 to 3 years of age. According to klass, “Recent research has taught us more about the complexity of the genetics of autism, but the evidence also has suggested an important role for environmental exposures. It has become a very complicated picture: Genes matter, but we usually can’t tell how. Environmental exposures matter, but we usually don’t know which” (Klass 2011). This means causes of autism could be nature base or nurture base. What is nature base vs nurture base? The answer to this question is autism could be nature base because of his/her heretics and genetics, means born with autism or autism runs in the family like slow growth of motor skill in individual or abnormal size of brain. Nurture base is environmental means how life can alter the individual expressions like inability to recognize social cues or interest in people.

Autism spectrum disorders are a class of developmental disorders that impair social skills, behavior, and communication (Center for Disease Control). ASDs are considered ‘spectrum’ disorders because each patient has a unique experience in the nature and severity of their symptoms (Center for Disease Control). Under the umbrella of ASDs, there are three types of disorders, including Autistic disorder, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (Center for Disease Control). Autistic disorder is the most severe of the three, and patients exhibit significant problems with language, communication, and behavior (Center for Disease Control). Furthermore, people with Autistic disorder often have some intellectual impairment (Center for Disease Control). Asperger Syndrome is a milder form of autistic disorder where patients have some developmental delays, but their language and intellect are not affected (Center for Disease Control). The mildest of the ASDs is the pervasive developmental disorder. These patients usually don’t meet all of the criteria for autistic disorder, but do show some signs of social and communication problems (Center for Disease Control). The number of children diagnosed with ASD is growing, and currently 1 in 88 children fall somewhere on the spectrum (Mari-Bauset et al., 2013). Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism, and while the exact cause of these disorders is unknown, both genetic and

Females with ASD are significantly more vulnerable than their male counterparts to “delayed or missed diagnosis”, leaving them untreated and at significant risk for adverse psychosocial and medical outcomes (Lai, 2015). Second, understanding the etiology of the gender discrepancies in presentation of ASD will deepen our understanding of the disease from a nosological perspective and possibly lead to new and novel hypotheses about the conceptualization and treatment avenues of ASD. Specific Aims: To examine existing literature for genotypic and phenotypic differences between males and females diagnosed with ASD. While prior meta-analyses have examined the differences between males and females with ASD in the “core triad of impairments”, none have examined genetic variations as well as symptomatology (Van Wjingaarden-Cremers et al. 2014). As our nosological framework is limited in our understanding of gender’s effect on autism, examining both phenotypic and genotypic data such as neuroimaging (brain MRIs), and genetic analyses, could further our understanding. On examination of brain MRI, genetic mutation burden, and symptomatic impairments validated using various outcome measures such as the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition, Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition and the Child Behavior Checklist, females with

ASD is a group of neurodevelopment disorders that include what used to be called early infantile autism, childhood autism, Kanner’s autism, high-functioning autism, atypical autism, pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified, and Asperger’s disorder (American Psychological Association (APA), 2013). ASD is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple settings, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities that can significantly impairs a young child’s ability to communicate and interact with others (APA, 2013).

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be a disorder in the brain, caused by genetic, environmental or neural levels. Autism effects data processing in the brain by alerting how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs not understand. (Johnson.2004)

Alot plays into effect what happens before and during birth, this can come from mothers age, and maternal illness during the pregnancy. The reason why scientists think that genes play a role in the development of ASD is with twins. In some cases it is more likely for identical twins who are fraternal to have a risk at getting ASD, then identical (“What Causes Autism?”). From “What Causes Autism?” say that if a family with one autistic child, they have a 5% chance - or one in 20 - chance of having another child with autism. While pregnant with the child it can have an effect with what medication you take in. There is even some

The differences between males and females with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) is a topic that has recently become more prevalent. In order to better diagnose, treat, and educate females with ASDs it is vital to understand the differences between the sexes. The dissimilarities between females and males with ASDs range from subtle variances to more obvious. According to Fornbonne (1999,2001), “boys are diagnosed with autism at a 4:1 ratio compared to girls.” Therefore, it is easy to understand why there is much more known about the diagnoses, treatment, and education that a male with autism receives and benefits from. Females with ASDs tend to fly under the radar since they exhibit different symptoms than males. They tend to be underdiagnosed and take longer to receive a diagnoses due to their lack of outward communication and behavior deficits. Parents and professionals have begun to question the 4:1 ratio for boys to girls with autism and wonder if the research studies that include more boys than girls and only take the symptoms of boys with ASDs into consideration may be hindering the ability to identify and treat girls with ASDs earlier. This research paper will explore what is currently known about females with autism, the differences between males and females with autism, the treatment and interventions that girls with autism benefit from,

Just as there is no duplicate case of autism, there is no one cause. Alternatively, there is a list of causes. Some of the most common include genetic mutation and predisposition as well as environmental factors. Some research shows that women can reduce the chance of their children being autistic by increasing folic acid intake before and following conception. Other research shows that “advanced paternal age can affect the child’s risk” of being

According to Shangraw (2012), there is no concrete etiology of autism because it is not diagnosed by its cause but on observed behaviors. The Autism-Society (n.d.) stated that a possibility for the cause of autism is the abnormalities in the brain structure or function. In an MRI research study by Piven et al. (1995), they found that an individual with autism spectrum disorder had a higher total brain volume and tissue compared to a person who is not on the autism spectrum disorder. Genetic problems and environmental factors can be a cause of autism spectrum disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic (2014). In genetic problems such as fragile X syndrome or Rett Syndrome, it can be associated with autism spectrum disorder. There is ongoing research regarding environmental factors and exploring ideas such as viral infections, pregnancy complications, and / or air pollutants to determine if they are active factors of autism spectrum disorder.

In my personal story, I reviewed my own experience of being a parent to a child with an ASD diagnosis. As it was demonstrated both from the literature review and though my personal story, it is clear that facing an ASD diagnosis is a big crisis. Part of the crisis relates to the stigma of ASD. Parents face judgment and resentments toward their children from the general public as well as judgment on their parenting style. This judgment comes as a result of the typical appearance of most children with

There are many disorders that affect how the brain works. Some of these disorders can stem from birth, while others appear later, almost at random throughout someone’s life. Autism seems to be a disorder that develops from birth, although most children are not officially diagnosed until they are about two or three years old. Why is this? One can infer that it very well may be that most children tend to begin speaking at two years of age— linking the disorder with communication. Overall, Autism is a very elaborate developmental disorder. It is a neurological disorder that affects the brain’s normal function; this further affects the development of one’s communication skills, such as talking (Nordqvist, 2008). Although there is no official cause that directly leads to having Autism, there are many theories. Researches have various ideas pending about what may cause this disorder. Some suggest that different genes, when combined together perfectly, create and develop Autism (Dryden-Edwards, 2014). Others simply propose that outside factors such as environmental pollution, emotional trauma, or vaccines can spark Autism in an infant (Dryden-Edwards, 2014). The bottom line is that one just cannot be sure of what causes such a condition. Because a developmental disorder like Autism is so complex, there are a wide array of symptoms that go along with it. A few of these symptoms include: a

There is no single theory that explains the cause of autism. My feeling is that a combination of genetic factors and environmental factors may be part of the root causes linked to autism. Research has proven that autism is not caused by a single gene, it is rather caused by multiple genes. Twin and family studies strongly suggest that some people have genetic predisposition to autism. Identical twin studies have concluded that if one twin has the disorder, the likely hood that the other will be affected is as high as 95%! Another conclusion is that autistic children have at least 10% missing or extra DNA compared to their parents. Researchers should now focus on determining if environmental factors play a role in autism. A study of environments

ASD and Autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development (What Is Autism, n.d.). Prior to 2013, patients could be diagnosed under Autistic Disorder (AD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD). In 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) merged all Autism Disorders under one umbrella termed ASD so that it will improve the diagnosis of ASD without limiting the sensitivity of the criteria or substantially changing the number of children being diagnosed. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

The neurodevelopmental disorders, according to the DSM 5, are a group of conditions with onset in the developmental period. The disorders typically manifest early in development, often before the child enters grade school, and are characterized by developmental deficits that produce impairments of personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is newly classified as such; it was once classified as “Asperger’s Syndrome.” ASD is a severe neurodevelopmental impairment. The disorder limits the functioning capabilities of children and their capacity to communicate as well as interact with others. ASD effects how children perceive the world around them; socializing with others happens to be the most vital piece of development. Onset for ASD can occur as early as infancy, some children, however, may develop normal and then begin to suddenly withdraw and become unusually aggressive with those around them, they also begin to lose vocabulary and language skills they’ve once had. Other medical conditions may be comorbid with ASD; for example, epilepsy, intellectual and structural language disorders, mental disorders, sleep disorders, and avoidant-restrictive food intake disorders, (DSM 5, pg. 59).