I know there’s a lot we just don’t know about ASD and that this is likely one of those things. It’s that’s true, what are some the theories for this?
In: Biology
The different doctors and specialists who explained it to me stated that autism is actually a genetic issue (cause currently undetermined) with damage to the same gene as for fetal alcohol syndrome for one part of the gene, Tourette’s disorder to another part of the gene and autism to the third part of the gene. Since fetal alcohol syndrome has been definitively proven to have been caused by alcohol ingestion by the mother while pregnant, they theorize that both Tourette’s and autism may have some chemical source having been ingested by the mother during pregnancy also even though those chemicals theorized have not yet been determined. One theory being currently researched is the ingestion of corn syrup in some form or another during pregnancy since there seems to be a correlation between such ingestion and a higher rate of autism in the children whose mothers ingested corn syrup such as in baked goods or other sweeteners. Severity of autism is greatly variable depending on the individual.
The Wisconsin Early Autism Program (WEAP) uses several criteria in diagnosing young children and test such things as speech, repetitive behaviors (such as rocking and spinning), hyperactivity, distractibility, and several others.
The school systems use interventions in schools for autistic children who are often developmentally delayed, especially in emotional and social skills. These early interventions have lessened the severity of the handicap in many of the students.
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