Like its many names, the condition has a range of symptoms, including intellectual development issues, attention problems, physical coordination difficulties, gastrointestinal disorders and sleep problems. Yet some autistic people have above-average levels of intelligence in math, music and art, and many who are diagnosed with the disorder go on to conduct normal work and social lives.
To date, there is no one definitive cause of autism that has been discovered, although its first signs usually will manifest between 12 months and 18 months of age. But some children get beyond age two and then suddenly start to lose their communication and motor skills, a problem called regression.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe that one in 68 American children falls somewhere on the autism spectrum, and the problems appear to be increasing. More boys than girls acquire autism, and the differences are stark – one in 42 boys is diagnosed, while just one in 189 girls is placed on the spectrum. It’s a problem for more than 2 million American individuals, and tens of millions internationally.
While some would argue that better diagnosis is responsible for the growth in cases reported, many autism experts disagree, and many blame environmental and genetic issues for its development.
Autism Causes
In the past five years, research scientists have identified specific gene changes associated with autism. These mutations are rare, and there are more than 100 of them. It is now believed that these genes may cause the autism disorder, although environmental factors certainly play a role.
Some of the risk factors associated with developing autism include having older parents at birth; experiencing an extremely premature birth; enduring a mother’s illness during pregnancy; having low birth weight; and being exposed to potential oxygen deprivation during birth. It is also possible that mothers who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution, pesticides and other environmental pollutants may be at higher risk of producing a child with an autism disorder. All of these issues, in combination with the genetic predisposition, may be factors in the rise of autism, but more research is necessary to pinpoint the cause and effect of each situation.
Facts and Falsehoods
Despite the growing body of research devoted to autism’s causes, there are still a lot of myths associated with the development of this disorder. Because of well-meaning people whose research skills may lead them down the wrong path, particularly on the Internet, and because the exact cause of the disorder is so murky, many people wind up unable to separate what’s true from what’s merely speculation or outright falsehood.
Here are a dozen myths and facts about autism.
1) Myth: Autism is a product of the late 20th and 21st-century environments and was unknown before then.
Truth: Scientists have been using the word “autism” for about 100 years to describe people who had limited social interaction skills. The first person to use the actual term was a Swiss psychiatrist in 1911, and the term came into general use in the 1940s.
2) Myth: Autistic people prefer isolation to dealing with people.
Truth: Autistic people want to interact but lack the skills to show empathy and perform normally in social situations.
3) Myth: Someone with autism will never be able to function normally in a social situation.
Truth: Behaviors can be learned through individualized instruction.
4) Myth: Autistic people will never be able to develop careers or compete in the workplace.
Truth: Many people on the autism spectrum are quite capable of working and being able to live productive lives, particularly if they were diagnosed at an early age and given specialized care.
5) Myth: Autism gets worse with age.
Truth: Autistic people will continue to grow if they receive proper care at an early stage of development.
6) Myth: Autism does not run in families.
Truth: With improved diagnostics, it’s becoming more apparent that autism indeed runs in families. Some family members may never have been diagnosed with the condition.
7) Myth: Every autistic person has a special skill that’s near genius level.
Truth: False. Dustin Hoffman in the film “Rain Man” is the exception, not the rule.
8) Myth: Parents are too quick to get a diagnosis of autism, which accounts for the growing numbers of children diagnosed with the disorder.
Truth: Early diagnosis is one of the keys to helping children overcome the limitations of the condition, and lives are significantly improved by early intervention.
9) Myth: There are certain programs that can cure autism.
Truth: There is no cure. Behavior interventions can have very positive results, though, and are responsible for helping many overcome the disorder's barriers.
10) Myth: Diagnosing autism is difficult, particularly if other disabilities are present.
Truth: A trained autism professional can observe behavior and measure the differences in verbal and non-verbal communication compared to others.
11) Myth: Autistic people struggle to understand emotions in others
False: Autism is a communications disorder. It’s not that they don’t understand the emotions – it’s that they have difficulty communicating that limits their reactions.
12) Myth: Parenting is the root cause of autism.
Truth: This is a theory that dates to the 1950s, when the term “refrigerator mother” was applied to those with autism. It’s no longer used and is disproved.
There are many other myths associated with autism, and no doubt they will grow as better diagnosis tools and the number of those on the spectrum grows. Fortunately, the amount of research is also growing, and with further breakthroughs in gene therapy and understanding of the root causes of the disorder, there is hope that many people who have autistic characteristics may be helped.