2008 Woodie Awards
Autism in America
The relentless disease confounding the nation
Amy Salisbury
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Features
According to the Autism Society of America, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, has risen to a baffling prevalence of 1 in 150 American children as of 2007. In California, the number of autism cases has tripled since 1985. The disease has no known cause, nor a certain cure.
At its most severe, autism can cause an otherwise healthy child to be emotionally insufferable, with hardly any verbal skills, or trigger the urge to self-harm. However, the puzzling disease can produce unusual intelligence and memorization, as Dennis Hopper showed the world in the film "Rainman," while still presenting debilitating gaps in social skills and emotional identification.
The scientific community generally recognizes abnormalities in brain structure or function as the main cause of varying degrees of ASD, though no one knows exactly why.
A child afflicted with autism will show differences in his brain shape and organization versus those without. Nevertheless, researchers maintain several theories as to ASD's origin. Many families studied display a genetic predisposition to developing the disease, though no specific ethnic group shows any kind of inclination toward autism's increase.
At this point, there is no amount of research that explicitly shows one particular gene to cause autism. Genetic instability in the womb may impede brain development, or even complications with delivery may contribute, not to mention the increased sensitivity of a developing child to environmental toxins like alcohol and drugs.
Children with ASD usually receive a diagnosis within three years of birth, but there are no actual medical tests to aid in the identification. An individual's communication skills and behavioral characteristics tend to be the factors most associated with ASD detection. Even so, autism may be commonly mistaken for mental retardation, a hearing disorder, or simply eccentric behavior. Early identification and appropriate treatment programs provide the best chance for a child with ASD to develop as fully as possible.
At its most severe, autism can cause an otherwise healthy child to be emotionally insufferable, with hardly any verbal skills, or trigger the urge to self-harm. However, the puzzling disease can produce unusual intelligence and memorization, as Dennis Hopper showed the world in the film "Rainman," while still presenting debilitating gaps in social skills and emotional identification.
The scientific community generally recognizes abnormalities in brain structure or function as the main cause of varying degrees of ASD, though no one knows exactly why.
A child afflicted with autism will show differences in his brain shape and organization versus those without. Nevertheless, researchers maintain several theories as to ASD's origin. Many families studied display a genetic predisposition to developing the disease, though no specific ethnic group shows any kind of inclination toward autism's increase.
At this point, there is no amount of research that explicitly shows one particular gene to cause autism. Genetic instability in the womb may impede brain development, or even complications with delivery may contribute, not to mention the increased sensitivity of a developing child to environmental toxins like alcohol and drugs.
Children with ASD usually receive a diagnosis within three years of birth, but there are no actual medical tests to aid in the identification. An individual's communication skills and behavioral characteristics tend to be the factors most associated with ASD detection. Even so, autism may be commonly mistaken for mental retardation, a hearing disorder, or simply eccentric behavior. Early identification and appropriate treatment programs provide the best chance for a child with ASD to develop as fully as possible.
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