2. What is Autism?
Autism is a complex developmental disability
that causes problems with social interaction
and communication. Symptoms usually start
before age three and can cause delays or
problems in many different skills that develop
from infancy to adulthood.
It is also considered to be a spectrum disorder
meaning, a group of disorders with similar
features but a wide range of possible
symptoms.
3. Autism and the brain
● New studies show that at birth, the brain is
normal in size in infants who later become
autistic. Surprisingly, this soon changes, so
that within the first 6 months following
birth, the autistic brain begins to grow too
fast and too large.
4. Autism and the brain cont'd
This abnormally rapid pace of
growth results in a child having an
abnormally large brain by 1 year of age.
Early brain overgrowth, the excess neuron
numbers may be one possible cause of early
brain overgrowth and produce defects in
neural patterning and wiring.
5. Autism and the brain cont'd
● Researchers have found that people with
autism can also have a high functional
artistic and memory abilities.
● Research on this disorder of Autism and the
affects on the brain are still developing and
being conducted all over.
6. Who is Autistic?
● Since there is no one answer to what causes
this disorder there is no one answer to who
can have it.
● It is more common for males to develop this
disorder then females.
● It appears in young children usually before
the age of 3 but not limited too this age.
7. Symptoms of Autism
There are a wide range of behaviors that
autistic children display. http://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=1VA6Q3vTC_o
● Lack of social interaction between peers
● repetition of activities, such as pacing,
hand flapping and spinning.
● Lacks emotional responses.
● Blank stares
● Does not communicate needs effectively
8. Screening and diagnosis
It is not an easy task for pediatricians or
parents to recognize and diagnose this
disorder. It takes a lot of tests and
observations. Children are consistently
growing and showing new interests so doctors
cant focus on one symptom and diagnose the
child with Autism.
9. Treatment and programs
● The sooner the diagnosis the sooner the
treatment can begin.
● Research shows that interactive programs
such as PATHWAYS is increasing the social
and behavioral interactions that autism
children have difficulties with. Below is
short youtube video explaining what
PATHWAYS is about.
● http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=lWO1oL4N1As
10. Annotated bibliography
● Wong, V.N & Kwan, Q.K., (2010). Randomized controlled trial for early
intervention for autism: A pilot study for autism 1-2-3 project. Journal od
Autism & Development Disorders. 40(6), 677-68
● E r i c C o u r c h e s n e , P h . D . EARLY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN
AUTISM. Thehelpgroup.org
● T. Grandin, Emergence: Labeled Autistic (with M.M Scariano, 1986, repr.
1996)
● Sheinkopf,S.J. (2009) Early diagnosis of autism: advances and challenges.
Autism Spectrum DIsorders. 25 (10)1556-7575
● Sweeney,M.S (2009) Brain: The complete mind.USA: National Geographic
Society.
