My Psychology

There is preliminary  evidence  some  but not all  individuals with autism are exposed to higher levels of testosterone in the womb. Excessively high testosterone concentrations in the bloodstream can be harmful and cause cells to die, particularly within the brain, which is highly sensitive to changes in hormone levels. One thought is that the pattern of cell death caused by high testosterone levels may alter brain development in a way that leads to autistic behaviours in childhood. This theory is still to be proven. Again, it is certain that not all individuals with autism are exposed to excessive levels of testosterone in the womb.

For a considerable time scientists were searching for one clear brain difference that may be lead to autistic behaviours. However, this hope has yet to be fulfilled, with few studies identifying brain characteristics that are shared by different individuals diagnosed with autism. This may be a further indication that autism has many different causes, but it may also be a reflection of the difficulties in studying the brain. Currently, scientists use a variety of clever techniques to understand the structure and function of the brain, such as magnetic fields, X-rays and radioactive chemicals. As ingenious as these methods are, they are unable to provide a full measure of the tremendous complexity of how the brain operates.

Recognition  has grown  over the past decade that aspects of our environment may also contribute to autism. However, despite substantial research, no one environmental factor has yet been found to be a definite cause of autism. The most widely used research technique to examine environmental risk factors for autism is epidemiology, which examines how often, and why, diseases occur in different groups of people. Several environmental factors during prenatal life have been linked with autism.  Bacterial  or  viral  infections in the mother during pregnancy have been found to slightly increase the risk of autism in the offspring. This could be due to the passage of harmful infectious organisms from the mother to the fetus through the placenta, or because the immune response of the mother may be detrimental to the developing brain of the fetus. Other factors in the mother that may be related to offspring autism include a  folic acid deficiency ...

To examine the influences of nature (genetics) and nurture (environment) on a given human quality, scientists study twins. To appreciate how these studies work, it’s first important to understand there are two types of twins. Identical twins share all of their DNA and, assuming they grow up in the same household, they will also share all of their environment. Fraternal twins also share all of their environment, but only around half of their DNA, just like non-twin siblings. Twin studies start by defining a clear population, say the metropolitan area of a city, and finding as many sets of twins as possible in that area where one or both of the twins have the given trait of interest – in this case, autism. Scientists then look at the “concordance” of that trait – that is, the percentage chance that if one twin has autism, the other twin will also have autism. If the concordance is higher for identical twins than fraternal twins, then we can say the difference is due to the increa...

One of the great and enduring mysteries of autism is what causes the brain to develop so differently. The behavioural differences of many individuals with autism are so apparent that it seems intuitive that the causes would also be obvious. But research over the past 70 years has indicated this isn’t so. Into this knowledge gap have come all sorts of weird and wacky ideas about the causes of autism: television, power lines, vaccines and sex position during conception. None have any credence, but have fuelled the mystery surrounding what may cause autism. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a  widely held belief  that autism was caused by parental coldness towards the child. The term “refrigerator mother” was often directed towards the mothers of these children. Leo Kanner, the man who  first described the behaviours  that characterise autism, explored “a genuine lack of maternal warmth” as a possible explanation for autism. This inaccurate belief left a legacy ...

Autism or autism spectrum disorder ASD refer to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behavior, speech and non verbal communications. we know that there is not one  autism  but many sub types and each person with  autism  can have unique strength and challenges.  A combination of genetic and environmental factors influence and development of Autism and  autism  often accompanied by medical issues such as : gastrointestinal disorders  Seizure   Sleep disorder  autism  effect and estimated 1 in 59 children  many people with Autism also have sensory issues.These can include various to certain site sound and other sensations. Autism Hallmark sign usually appear by Age 2 to 3. Often it can be diagnosed as early as 18 month.