Every parent has probably heard of autism - whether in the immediate environment, in the family or at school. What is autism? How is it diagnosed? What to look out for if your child is diagnosed with autism?
Table of contents:
- What is childhood autism?
- Different perspectives on autism
- How common is autism?
- Symptoms
- What's new in autism research?
What is childhood autism?
Autism (from the Greek autos - alone) is classified as a complex disorder of the development and functioning of the central nervous system. Characteristic features of children suffering from autism are disorders in the ability to communicate feelings, build relationships with other people. According to the current ICD-10 classification, childhood autism is classified as a so-called holistic disorder, which begins in the first years of a child's development. The second classification in force (DS-5) adopts a broad diagnostic category known as 'autism spectrum disorders'. The first literary reports of autism appeared in the 20th century - in the 1940s, Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins Hospital described the story of a group of children who developed communication problems and withdrawal at some point in their lives. On the basis of his observations, Kanner identified a new disease entity, which he termed early infantile autism. At the same time, German scientist Hans Asperger described a milder form of autism spectrum disorder, which we now know as Asperger's syndrome.
Different perspectives on autism
Initially, Kanner looked for the cause of the onset of autism in the behaviour of the mothers - he surmised that the children's behaviour was the result of mothers restricting their emotions and becoming "cold and unavailable to the children". This theory was not confirmed in later studies. A huge turnaround in the perception of autism came from research conducted by Melanie Klein, who shed new light on the causes of autism.
Autism in a child, photo: panthermedia
How common is autism?
It is estimated that the incidence of autism depends on the diagnostic criteria adopted and geographical location. Research based on the use of the ICD-10 index has estimated the prevalence of childhood autism in Poland at 5.2-8.6:10 000 The causes of autism are still unknown, hence one of the hypotheses currently in force is the so-called multifactorial aetiology. Genetic, developmental and infectious factors, as well as problems during pregnancy and childbirth, are indicated here. Studies on the effect of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines on the incidence of autism have not been scientifically confirmed.
Symptoms
A problem in establishing social skills and maintaining interpersonal relationships is considered the main symptom of autism. Infants are observed not responding with a smile to the faces of loved ones and not making eye contact with caregivers. Autistic children often shy away from physical contact, often seem alienated from their environment, and have difficulty communicating their emotional needs.
What's new in autism research?
Trying to answer the question of where autism came from and whether it can be cured has been the subject of much research around the world. Researchers at Washington Univeristy School of Medicine in St Louis indicate that the cause of autism may be too many brain connections that are formed between synapses (nerve cells). What does too many synapses entail? Most likely it brings with it problems in communication, problems in learning. Another theory, pointed out by a number of scientists, is that autism is linked to mutations in genes that synthesise proteins - ubiquitin ligases. A mutation in the gene encoding ligase synthesis caused an intense increase in neural connections between synapses, suggesting a link between the two. The researchers emphasise, however, that it will take several if not more years to confirm or reject the hypothesis.
