Emma McDonald

Mr. Maite
Grammar and Research
2 December 2014

Autism

Unlike other disorders Autism has many causes. The main cause is an
abnormality in the brain. These brain abnormalities can be caused by
genetic disorders, environmental exposure, and/or Family Health and History.
Understanding the causes ASDs can help to prevent this disorder.
Some people with specific genetic disorders can have an increased risk
of developing ASDs some common genetic disorders are: Fragile X
Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, Phenylketonuria, and
Smith- Lemili- Opitz- Syndrome. The most common Genetic cause of ASDs in
boys is Fragile X Syndrome. These Disorders do not directly cause ASDs but
they increase the risk.
Environmental causes can also lead to ASDs. Vaccines have been
thought to cause Autism for a long time, however this has not been proved
to be true. Certain Drugs during pregnancy can increase the risk of having a
child with ASDs. If the mother has been exposed to infections such as
Rubella might have a part in causing Autism. Mothers that drink a large
amount of alcohol may also have an increased risk. Concerned Mothers

should try to limit their environment exposure if they want to decrease the
risk of having an autistic child.
Family Health and History can also play a contributing role in children
with ASDs. Mothers with autoimmune disease have an increased risk of
having a child with Autism. Family History of diabetes can also be linked to
ASDs. Older parents are at a higher risk of their child developing ASDs. Also
if there is short periods of time between pregnancies that can also play a
contributing role.
Autism is unlike many other disorders because it has so many different
causes. Although if many be hard to eliminate all of the causes, parents to
be should do what they can to minimize their risk.
How do you know if your child has autism? Since Autism is a spectrum
disorder people with it can have a mixture of different symptoms. The three
types of symptoms are abnormal social interaction, abnormal communication
and restricted interests and behaviors. Some symptoms may be present
when they are babies, but most symptoms show up when the child is
supposed to learn to talk and interact with other children. Some children
cannot read facial expressions. This is an example of someone with
abnormal social interaction. Some children lack imaginative behavior
present in other children, or they seem to only have one interest that they
focus on. This is an example of restricted interests and behaviors.

There are many different types of Treatments for Autism. The four
main treatments are ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis), DIR Floortime, RDI
(Relationship Development Intervention), and SCERTS (Social
Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support). These
Treatments can help make symptoms less severe and help the children live
more normal lives.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is has been proven to be the most
effective treatment and has the best results. During this Therapy behaviors
and skills are deconstructed in to smaller parts by therapists. Positive
rewards are used when the correct behavior is used.