Autism Secrets

There have been many conditions thought history that have been mistaken for something else, and before the human mind was understood, many with mental disabilities were placed in jail. They were deemed a threat and were then heavily medicated. Today, we have a greater understanding of what some people go through, and although different from everyone else, we know there is an underlying reason for it. We know do our best to help people like this instead of persecuting them. When looking back through the history of autism, it is obvious that though it was given a name in the early part of the 1900s, it was largely misunderstood by people for a long time.

Some believe that autism was first noticed as a condition around 1911, but it wasn’t really anything other than a theory at that time. A Swiss psychiatrist by the name of Eugen Bleuler is thought to be the first to use the term. The word ‘autism’ meant ‘an escape from reality’ and was based on behaviors he observed in adults and it was attributed to schizophrenia. Though that was false and misleading, it was a step closer to putting a name to a condition that was largely misunderstood.

New information was found from one of the earliest recorded studies of children with autism. From 1938 to the year 1943, a doctor by the name of Leo Kanner studied the behaviors of eleven autistic children. The children he chose to study were ones that seem to withdraw from interaction with others as early as age one. The type of autism that he recorded and named was what would be considered ‘classic autism’ and is often referred to as Kanner’s Syndrome.

These children were thought to have different characteristics than those classified as mentally retarded. However, at this time it was still largely misunderstood. Some believed parents were to blame, and these children were often removed from the home and placed with others to see if they would ‘recover.’

It wasn’t until the 1960s when the disorder was finally being studied and understood for what it really is and the impacts it has on a person. The finger pointing at parents of autistic children reduced as understanding grew, but there was and still is in some cases a lot of misinformation about autism, and many parents feel the need to defend themselves, as if they’ve ‘done something’ to their child.

Higher functioning autistic children and adults are often said to have Asperger’s. This condition was documented by Hans Asperger in 1944, but was not something that gained wider awareness until later in the 1980s. He described this condition as ‘autistic psychopaths’ and some of the blame was put on the mothers of these children, claiming that they were cold and heartless. Though we know today that this is not true, it was widely accepted at the time.

Since then, PDD (pervasive development disorder) has been studied and is now more understood. PDD is a blanket term for the spectrum of autistic disorders that are now known today.

The history of autism is a rough one, but that can be said about many of the conditions that affect the mind and the personality. Though more understanding exists today, there is much that is still misunderstood.

Perhaps the most important thing is that parents are no longer blamed for the conditions of autism, and that more treatments are available to help a child with this condition. Recently thinking suggests Autism is an auto-immune condition, and that it can be genetic. There is no cure, but there are programs that can increase communication and socialization skills in some children and adults.

Hopefully by understanding the history of autism we can take steps to progress treatment programs further.

Rachel Evans
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/did-you-know-these-facts-about-autism-133827.html

Autism is a mental disorder that is a challenge faced by many families the world over; many feel that learning to pinpoint the cause of autism can help lead them towards eliminating the source and preventing autism from occuring and though this is a hope held on to by several scientists, it is not possible to link the cause of autism to a single reason. This is the reason why there is no absolute cure for Autism yet despite extensive medical research.

It is not fair to blame parents of an autistic child to keep the flame of hope alive regarding a cure for the illness that is controllable, but not curable yet and seeking answers that can benefit their child, but the truth is, there is no absolute answer for this predicament just yet.

While Autism is a disorder that has been studied the world over with expert medical professionals evaluating the symptoms and treatment methods to offer best training and control of the condition, its chief cause is yet to be identified, though genetics does play a major role in defining a child suffering from Autism. The best way, in the light of all these facts, is to understand the true nature of Autism, what it means to a child to be autistic and finding ways to make the adjustment of the autistic child to the world around him or her, an easy, happy, normal and fulfilling one.

Educating caregivers of an autistic child about the disorder, equipping them with the knowledge of making others around them aware of the nature and scope of the illness and training them to help their child cope with the possibilities of living with autism are necessary to bringing about a healthy and positive upbringing for the child concerned. Learning about causes of autism is not as important then as is the need to bust any myths regarding Autism, such as poor parenting or neglect or even malnutrition is wrongly believed as being; these are just not true causes of Autism and parents must make an effort to educate themselves about Autism and also others around them.

Scientists are working to establish facts regarding Autism and bring them to light to make more people aware of the true nature of Autism as a brain disorder that has several limitations, but can be overcome to a great extent through timely counselling and therapy, including joining a support group and involving the child affected in interesting and varied programs that are age and skill-level appropriate for them, for many autistic children displaly an uncanny aptitude for math, music or art that should be encouraged.

The brain is larger in autistic individuals and due to this fact, medical experts opine that their nerves and other parts are constructed differently as compared to average individuals; thus, autistic children have an immunity issue as well due to the disorder: at times, autism may have been caused due to impromper vaccinations given to the child’s parents, though this is just a strong possibility and not a definite source of autism. It is still under the scanner.

Thus, as things today stand, the causes for autism are associated with genetics rather than mal-nutrion, bad parenting or vaccinations, which are either myths or have provided inconclusive evidence and it is felt that families need to concentrate on improving the quality of life for the autistic child by being informed about the condition, learning to cope with it in the social context and help enhance the autistic child’s future.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/autism-causes-important-things-you-wanted-to-know-709434.html

Autism is known by several different names. Some call it autism, others call it Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and others refer to it by what is typically known as a “lighter” form of autism, Aspergers Syndrome or Aspergers Disorder. The disorder is usually identified by a marked delay in a child’s areas of communication and social interactions. While autism is not only found in children, it can typically be successfully identified during the first three years of a child’s life.

Autistic spectrum disorder is a difficult affliction to diagnose. There is not a physical ailment that can be readily seen, such as a broken arm or open wound, yet the affliction can be much worse than either of those if untreated or even worse, if it goes undiagnosed for a long period of time. Since it is difficult to diagnose, various tests are performed on the patient to determine if certain sets of criteria are met which would define autism. For this reason, the diagnosis of autism is a relatively subjective process that typically requires specialists in this area to accurately determine.

For several decades, autism has been known as one of the most severe neurological disorders pertaining to the normal development of a child’s communications skills, ability to focus and concentrate, and general social interaction skills. For a long time, it was thought to be relatively rare, but more recent studies estimate that approximately 1 in every 150 children are afflicted by it to some degree. Sometimes the “degree” is almost undetectable and does not present a major challenge to that child as they develop and grow, but for others, it will clearly present them with challenges.

There is not a currently known cure for autism, but once it has been diagnosed and the severity of it determined, there are things that can be done to minimize the effects of it. Sometimes this may include prescription medications. Although the results are not yet definitive, some scattered reports of success have been noted with secretin treatments for both children and adults. Common treatments include special education with trained professionals who understand autistic spectrum disorder, which would also include behavioral interventions and dietary changes.

A prevailing thought, although not yet definitive, is that autism is a neurological or psychological disorder that is inherited. It has been concluded, however, that autism is not a reflection of parenting skills, where the lack of a nurturing mother would be a cause of autism. Some studies have indicated that a dietary change can have a notable positive effect on the autistic patient, like changing to a glutin-free diet. Other studies have shown that going through a process to remove mercury from the system had a very positive effect. But again, these studies are currently inconclusive.

Yet other studies have focused in other areas. For example, one thought is that the production of testosterone plays a role in autism, which would partially explain why such a dramatically greater percentage of males versus females are afflicted with ASD.

Bottom line: watch your children and know the signs of autism, since early detection and accurate early diagnosis provides your best chances to minimize the detrimental effects.

Jon Arnold
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/find-out-the-history-symptoms-and-treatment-of-autism-109625.html

Are you seeing odd behavioural patterns and habits in your preschool child? Is your child having difficulty with speech such as difficulty in forming short phrases or/and with plenty of babbling? Is he having problems interacting socially with the other kids? These are possible signs that your child may just be autistic.

Autism is a neurological brain disorder. Some experts say that autism may be caused by mercury found in the body. Mercury is known to cause neurological disorders as it mainly triggers brain dysfunction. Mercury is likely to be absorbed by the body if it is presented as ethyl mercury that are usually used in thimerosal, preservatives, and additives and even in pediatric vaccines.

Hence to get rid of the mercury, it appears that it is necessary to do a mercury detox. Mercury detox is a process where chelating agents aid the body into excreting heavy metals by bonding with the toxic materials and make them less active. Mercury detox is in progress when hazardous metals are absorbed by the bloodstream and is excreted safely by the liver or kidney.

There are a lot of medications that can aid in mercury detox. DMSA is one of the most common FDA-approved drugs to treat individuals who need heavy metal detox. It contains mixed disulfide and cysteine that forms a water-soluble chelating agent that can effectively excrete lead content through urination.

DMSA may be deemed as an effective heavy metal detox agent but there are known side effects that move a lot of physicians not to recommend it to autistic children. Some of the reported side effects of DMSA are self-stimming, seizures and some dysfunction of the central nervous system.

Individuals with autism may or may not show these side effects because as mentioned earlier, it’s always a case-to-case basis.

Another option for heavy metal detox is the intake of DMPS. This is the next alternative for DMSA. DMPS may be a little pricey, but it is recommended to be taken only once a month. This is generally cheaper compared to DMSA because you have to take them 28 times on a monthly basis.

There are also other options that you can consider for your child for a much gentler way of detoxification. For instance, taking certain herbal supplements known to aid in detoxification as well as homeopathy.

It is important that you first get your child tested for mercury or heavy metals. If the tests indicate the high presence of these toxic materials, consult your health care provider on what your options are.

Sandra Kim Leong
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/mercury-detox-for-your-autistic-child-101562.html

The US federal court has ruled that there is no connection whatsoever between autism and vaccines.

What do you think? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29160138/

there was a survey in the UK linking MMR to autism and it was discredited. The guy who did the survey is being made to account for his actions at the moment.

Some of the children in his survey were showing autistic symptoms prior to the vaccine, but he failed to take account of this and therefore rendered his results useless, supposedly.

Do you think this could be the reason, the final evolutionary key to why humans are different than other animals?

Maybe this will start a cure for autism… we can hope

its only like 10min. long give it a look and tell me what ya think

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3204/01.html

Fascinating, but it appears that other primates also have it. Clearly the Monkeys they were using for experiments have the mirror neurons. As to Autism, I think that it is a tenuous link, although the mention of empathy with regard to the mirror neurons does suggest that there may be some link, it does not suggest that Autism might be caused by a problem in this area of the brain. Perhaps one of the Autism Spectrum disorders might be investigated, such as Aspergers.
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But as you say, we can hope.
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