Autism? THe cause?

Answer 1

I am the father of a 9 year old severly autistic son (he has never spoken). I can tell you this at about 12-15 months he went from regular development path to pure silence and removal from normal play activites - playing with balls, objects, etc.

Now there are major first year vaccinations at that time period. So, I can't completely rule that out.

But, one thing my son had that matched recent studies was a very large (not abnormal) head size. We bought clothes that would not even go over his head. Our daughter, 15 months older than my son, is a large girl to this day 100% for height/weight and she has never had the problem of getting close to go over her head. But, my son has always had a large head. The theory behind this one is the brain grows to fast for the brain to build its network and it misfires.

All the studies and theories I've ready since my sons diagnosis (over 7 years now) the large head size is about the only one that matched my son.

But, we have many, many friends now of autistic children, not as severe as my son, and they don't believe the "large head size" matches their child either.

So, the answer is GOD ONLY KNOWS.

The reality: its epedemic right now and its a VERY harsh reality for the children to live in and their families.

Answer 2

Genetics are a major factor. It is very uncommon (20%) to have identical twins (same genes) with one autistic & one not at all. But it is even more uncommon (6%) to have fraternal twins (as many genes as a sibling born years apart) with both autistic. But if genes were the whole story there would NEVER be identical twins with only one autistic. There is obviously another contributing factor.

A common suspicion was vaccines. Thimerisol, the mercury based preservative that many suspected caused autism, was removed from manditory childhood vaccines in 2001. The older batched made before 2001 expired in 2003. So one would expect the autism rate to drop. But it continues to rise! So thimerisol could not have been the cause.

A recent study raises the question as to whether the age of the father could be a factor. I guess the idea is that the "sperm factory" makes more errors as the years go by.

I also saw a study that suggests more TV watching causes autism. I find that highly unlikely, but I think plunking an autistic kid in front of a TV all day certainly doesn't help!

And I'm sure there are many MANY more theories out there.

Answer 3

As I type, the cause is still unknown. Once, bad parenting was blamed. Certain vaccines were suspect for a while, especially those containing mercury. Various other theories have been proposed but there are as yet no definitive answers.

It would seem that some neurons in the brain are malfunctioning. Fine. But why? A genetic defect? OK, but why? None of these theories explains why the phenomenon has skyrocketed in the past year either (although part of that may be simply that we have gotten better at diagnosing disorders on the autism spectrum). I can't help but wonder whether our poor nutrition coupled with the thousands of pollutants in our environment are contributing factors.

When we finally do discover the cause, it will be a major breakthrough of our century.

Answer 4

I have a son with Autism. All his boy cousins (on my ex-husbands' side), his father and grandfather all have varying degrees of Autism.
Genetic? I believe it is in my family.
But what caused it, nobody really has the difinitive answer yet.
I'm an A.B.A. (Applied Behavioural Analysis) therapist, working with children with Autism.
I have done alot of study and research with clients and via education.
Some interesting correlations have arisen in regards to training the mind to follow 'structure' in behaviours and thinking (cognition) in gaining/learning life skills and formal education. So maybe it has something to do with the brains electrical responses/message sending in reacting/responding to deciphering information or acting on something.
I have had patience with my son, assisted him (and my clients)in many learning experiences. They've made great 'progress'.
But still no-one has come up with THE answer.
So many theories are put forward, though well meaning and an attempt to get the answers, but I think the cause will be unknown for a while yet.

Answer 5

A mystery. The latest I've heard is that it is caused by a genetic propensity which is exascerbated by an environmental toxin of some sort. Many researchers hold out hope that it will be stopped much like PKU has been through avoidance of certain things. Vaccines have been pretty much ruled out but some have thought lead might contribute. For sure the best thing is early diagnosis and treatment. By doing this, strides have been made in the eventual status of children suffering from this disorder.

Answer 6

I am a behavior analyst and behavioral treatments are very successful in this population. While I agree that it is not caused by "BAD" parenting, I do think that the cause is related to children's behavioral environment at a critical time during brain development. I think that what is happening is that normal language and social skills are not being reinforced or that abnormal means of communication (screaming, aggression, self-injury) are being reinforced. In other words, at this time that exhibiting abnormal behaviors more often lead to them getting what they want (a tangible thing, attention, or escape from a non-preferred task) than does exhibiting normal behaviors (at this age making sounds resembling speech). The work that behavior analysts do with autistic children is simply reinforce successive approximations to appropriate forms of communication while extinguishing the function of inappropriate behaviors. This is the same thing that parents do or try to do while their child learns to talk, only in a less controlled way.
There has also been research with so called feral children who were not exposed to language at this critical time that suggests that once the brain has missed out on language exposure their are certain skills one can never acquire. Which would explain why even with treatment, autistic children usually remain impaired.
I stress that this does not mean that a parent is in some why bad or neglectful. Parents who have the best intention will often shape up very harmful behaviors in their children.

Answer 7

I am currently studying this subject and am on a board that is exploring causes..There is no answer. Many are researching autism and spectrum disorders.. Schools and health educators are implementing ways to assist children with these disorders in the educational process......These people are also educating teachers, special education providers and speech pathologists in detecting this mysterious malady......Please see AUTISM SPEAKS on the internet for more info.......

Answer 8

At least two people I know who work with kids who have special needs say that teachers they know suspect food additives and/or pesticides in the food, may be contributing to how prevalent Autism has become. Did you know that most foods sold now a days in the US contain some level of MSG a recognized neurotoxin? What do you think a recognized neurotoxin is likely doing to the process of development in the brains of susceptible developing brains of our nation's children?