Causes of Autism

The text is presented for informational purposes only. We urge you not to self-medicate. When the first symptoms appear, consult a doctor. Recommended reading: “Why not self-medicate?”. The causes of autism are a combination of factors that influence the occurrence of this disease, or create a favorable environment for its development. At present, it has not yet been fully clarified what exactly causes it; it is known for certain that the main causes of the appearance are closely related to genetics and heredity. This is evidenced by numerous modern scientific studies conducted in this area. The general characteristics of the disease, its nature and etiology constantly generates new theories of the origin of autism. Where does this disease come from? What is the reason for its formation and development?

In this article, we will look at all the possible concepts that affect the development of autism, as well as talk about the factors that are still mistakenly considered to be the causes that provoke its occurrence.

Hereditary predisposition

Genetically altered genes are one of the main reasons why this disease occurs and develops. Autism is hereditary, which means that autistic children who suffer from such a disease were initially susceptible to it at the genetic level. It is heredity that is the reason why several children suffer from such a disease in one family. And scientific studies claim that the risk of developing early childhood autism among sisters and brothers increases three to eight times.

There are many genetic problems in autism. They are directly associated with proteins, proteins, neurons and mitochondria. It should be noted that a mitochondrial defect is a genetic failure that occurs most often in autistic people. At the same time, a genetic predisposition to protein disorders and deviations in neuronal interaction, which occurs at the cellular level, is clearly traced. Such changes often lead to the destruction of cell membranes and provoke the formation of energy in mitochondria.

Autism gene

Although the origin of the disease is closely related to genetics, there is currently no scientific evidence for the existence of a specific gene that causes the disease. However, an international team of scientists recently published the results of their research in the journal Science Translational Medicine. In the course of their work, they found that mutations in the PTCHD1 gene, located on a single male chromosome, are significantly associated with autism. According to scientists, this also explains the fact that boys are born with autism four times more often than girls.

However, the scientists themselves say that a small number of individuals in whose genetic structures this relationship was revealed during such an experiment is not fundamental evidence, but only one of the additional confirmations of a possible cause of autistic disorder.

Viruses

Scientific research was also carried out in the field of virology. Thus, it has been suggested that toxic and infectious causes may influence the development of autism.

Herpes simplex virus, rubella, mononucleosis, chicken pox, roseola and cytomegalovirus are very dangerous for the developing brain of a child. They can cause a non-standard response of the body’s immune system to infection, which can lead to the development of autism and other autoimmune diseases.

With reduced immunity in newborns, the penetration of the virus into their body significantly affects the nervous system and brain, resulting in an autoimmune reaction. In simple terms, the baby’s body is fighting with itself, while affecting its own healthy cells, due to which early childhood autism and mental retardation appear.

Most often, the virus enters the body of a child during fetal development, when a pregnant woman is infected. It is also possible to infect the baby through breast milk during breastfeeding or saliva. It happens that a child picks up an infectious disease in a nursery.

The weaker areas of the brain are hit first, and these are precisely those that are responsible for emotional mood and communication skills. For example, the amygdala contributes to the regulation of the emotional background and is responsible for the manner of communication, intonation, and also for eye contact. And as you know, the main symptoms of autism are lack of eye contact, emotional poverty, isolation and decreased communication functions.

The vaccine

One theory is that autism is caused by vaccinations given to children in infancy as part of the mandatory vaccination process. However, to date, many different scientific studies have been carried out, but none of them has ever proven a link between vaccines, or their combination with this disease. There is also absolutely no evidence that the substances used in the manufacture of vaccines contribute to the development of autism spectrum disorders. The theory that Thimerosal, added to vaccines, increases the risk of developing such a disease by several times, remained only an unfounded theory.

Gluten as a provocateur of developmental disabilities

Recently, there has been talk that one of the factors causing autism in children and adults may be food intolerance to gluten. As you know, the clinical manifestation of such a deviation is celiac disease. Indeed, when following a gluten-free diet for autism spectrum disorders, a positive effect was observed.

Subsequently, scientists refuted the existing link between celiac disease and the occurrence of autism in children, however, they confirmed that there is an increased risk of developing this disease in those people who have a normal intestinal mucosa, but at the same time with a positive test for antibodies to gluten components.

It turns out that pathological conditions in autism do not develop with clinical manifestations of gluten intolerance, that is, celiac disease, but directly under the influence of gluten. The theory that immunological intolerance to gluten components may underlie the development of autism spectrum disorders has been confirmed.

That is why, in the treatment of autism by a nutritionist, a gluten-free diet is mandatory, which significantly improves cognitive functions in sick children.

Spiritual reasons

Psychology has its own views on the causes of such a disease. Spiritual and psychological factors play a significant role in the development of autism. The psychosomatics of the disease indicates that the physiological manifestations of such a disease are closely related precisely to the psychological ones. For example, a child loses speech skills when he does not want to communicate with others.

The psychological reasons that influenced the acquisition of the disease, in this case, are:

• problems in relationships with the mother in early childhood;
• insufficient attention to the baby from the parents;
• experienced severe emotional stress;
• complete neglect of the child by the mother, early weaning;
• psychological trauma in a child;
• distorted perception of the surrounding world due to its insufficient knowledge.

These children often develop not congenital, but acquired autism.

The psychological state and lifestyle of the mother

The lifestyle of the mother of the child and her psychological state during pregnancy can also affect the development of such a disease.

Past illnesses

One of the causes of autism is considered to be infectious diseases transferred by a pregnant woman during gestation. Such infections include measles, herpes, and chicken pox. Even the common flu and acute viral infections in such a period almost double the risk of having an autistic child.

prenatal stress

The emotional state of a woman during pregnancy can also be the cause of the development of autism cycle disorders in a child. Frequent stresses endured by a woman during such a period increase the concentration of glucocorticoids in the blood, which, with an excess amount, are not neutralized, but enter the fetal body. Hormones are able to penetrate the child’s brain, causing various disorders in it, which appear immediately after the birth of the baby or as it develops. Usually this is the period of the first year of life, or seven to nine years. Glucocorticoids, circulating through the child’s body, cause increased anxiety, expressed fears, contribute to the development of disorders of the nervous system, as well as psychosomatic diseases, including early childhood autism.

Bad habits

An important role in the development of childhood autism is played by bad habits that a mother has during pregnancy. Smoking is especially harmful. Although scientists have not yet openly declared the connection between autism in children and smoking of the expectant mother, the results of studies conducted in this area indicate that it exists. Thus, smoking by a pregnant woman can provoke the development of specific forms of autism in a child.

Alcohol, caffeine, drugs and drugs used by the expectant mother also do not bring anything good for the health of the baby. Although a direct link between their use and the development of autism in children has not been established, such bad habits generally have a bad effect on the health of the fetus and cause pathological processes in its body.

Age of parents

In this matter, the age of the father is of great importance. Men over the age of fifty have a sixty-six percent increased risk of autism. If at the time of conception the age of the future father was from forty to fifty years, then the figure dropped to twenty-eight percent.

The late age of the mother also leaves its mark. Women who become mothers after the age of forty are fifteen percent more at risk of having an autistic child than thirty-year-olds. And if both parents crossed the line of forty years of age, then the risks increased even more.

At the same time, it should be noted that a large age difference between parents plays a role. The most susceptible to autism are children whose fathers are between the ages of thirty-five and forty and mothers ten years older. Conversely, if a man is ten years younger than a woman, and she, in turn, is between the ages of thirty and forty, the risk of the disease is also quite high.

Set of factors

It is necessary to talk about any one reason for the occurrence of pathology with caution. Recently, scientists have increasingly noted the fact that the emergence and development of autism spectrum disorders is influenced by a combination of various factors, including hereditary predisposition, and ecology, and the age of parents and various psychological reasons.

Summing up

There are many causes of autism, and at the moment they are not yet fully understood. Therefore, it is impossible to say with certainty which particular reason is fundamental in the occurrence of this disease. Modern provisions, scientific works and research conducted in this area, are increasingly forced to incline to the idea that there is no single cause of the disease. The disease is formed under the influence of several factors, which together lead to the appearance of autism spectrum disorders.

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