Adamiyatt Cyrus 11100419 AP Bio Autism Project

7/29/2019 Adamiyatt Cyrus 11100419 AP Bio Autism Project

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Autism

By Cyrus Adamiyatt


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Overview

Autism is adevelopmentaldisorder that is oftenapparent within thefirst 3 years of lifeand impairs thebrains customarydevelopment of social andcommunication skills


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Topics to be Covered

History Symptoms Causes Treatments

How the disease is identified Bioethical Considerations


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History

Throughout history, examples of autisticsymptoms have been described, even longbefore autism was named

Autistic symptoms were written about asearly as the 16th century by Martin Luther

Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the

term autism when describing symptoms of schizophrenia


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History Continued

Leo Kanner was thefirst to autism in its

modern sense whenhe described 11children with strikingbehavioral

abnormalities in a1943 report


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Symptoms of Autism

Autism is characterizednot by one symptom,but rather by a set

These symptomsusually begin after theage of 6 months andcontinue throughoutadulthood (althoughoften they appear in aless distinguishableform)


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Symptoms Continued Impairments in social interaction occurs, as those who suffer

from autism often lack the seemingly natural social intuition thatmany possess. Additionally,they often have a hard time usingsimple movements to express themselves and hold less eyecontact.

Impairment in communication is another symptom. Almost 1/2 of people with autism cannot develop natural speech to meet dailyneeds. Many have issues with babbling and diminishedresponsiveness to their name and other communicative stimuli.

Repetitive behavior is also exhibited. Those with the diseaseoften have compulsive, ritualistic, or restricted behavior. A small percentage of those affected may develop other

symptoms. Some have unusual abilities in memorization of trivia or musical talent and are often called autistic savants.


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Causes

Autism is linked to abnormal biology and chemistryin the brain; however, as of now, exact causesremain unknown

Genetic factors seems to play a role but evidencehas not been conclusive

Chromosomal abnormalities are more common infamilies with autism

Other causes such as Mercury poisoning, diet, andan inability to properly use vitamins and mineralshave been suggested, but are not yet proven


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Treatments Applied Behavioral Analysis- a

treatment program that uses a one-on-one teaching approach to helpwith various skills in order to bringthe child closer to normaldevelopment

Medicine can be used to treat theemotional or behavioral problemsthat are associated with the disease(I.e. aggression, anxiety, attentionproblems etc.)

Occupational therapy and speech-language therapy are other options

Early reports seem to show thatsome children with autism respondbetter to a gluten-free diet, althoughnot all studies have shown positiveresults


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Identification Developmental exams done by a

pediatrician can be used toidentify symptoms in youngchildren

Children who are suspected to beaffected by the disease mayundergo a complete physical andnervous system evaluation

In addition, such children mayhave genetic testing done in aneffort to find chromosomal

abnormalities Because of the broad spectrum of

symptoms, a single evaluationcannot fully predict the condition,and multiple evaluations must beundertaken


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Bibliography

Board, A.D.A.M. Editorial. "Autism."U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18Jan. 0001. Web. 11 Feb. 2013..

Fredericks, Carrie. Autism . Detroit:Thomson Gale, 2008. Print.

Adamiyatt Cyrus 11100419 AP Bio Autism Project

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