Thoughts Regarding Autism Spectrum Neurodevelopmental DisordersOf these rare neurological disorders, Autism is the most common. The autismspectrum reflects the broad range of symptoms in which the names of these autismdisorders have been given their own name for their disorder.Autism is a disability that is suspected to be caused possibly by a braindevelopment disorder of unknown etiology. Others suspect the cause is some sortof neurological dysfunction- possibly with a genetic predisposition. Autism is about3 times more common in males than females as well, and it is unclear as to why thisoccurs.Usually, symptoms of the disease present themselves before the toddler reachesthe age of three. Before Autism was more understood, others inaccurately labeledautistic people as childhood schizophrenia or as having a psychosis or mentalretardation.Symptoms of the autistic patient included limited or dysfunctional social andpersonal or intimate relationships with others, their intelligence is affected, and theautistic person typically is adverse to change. Also, the autistic person tends to becompulsive and prefers to be alone. They lack eye contact as much as physicalcontact with other people.Out of over two dozen diagnostic criteria utilized for these disorders, eight must bepresent to be considered autistic, according to the DSM. As with all passivedevelopmental disorders, the person expresses language, social, and behavioraldifficulties. Treatment includes what are called psychotropic medications that delay theprogression of the disorder, as well as relieve some of the symptoms of one who isautistic. Behavioral therapy is common as a treatment regimen as well. Boys getAutism much more than girls. Then there is the controversy between many who claim that thimerosal- apreservative containing mercury, which is a neurotoxin that was used in vaccinesuntil 2001, was the catalyst for autism in children.Over 5000 lawsuits have been filed because of this belief, and some have beensuccessful for the plaintiff. Yet most agree the correlation between thimersalandautism is void of scientific merit. Furthermore, the cases of autism have notdecreased since the preservative was discontinued in 2001.Aside from Autism, the other four passive developmental disorders are known asautism spectrum disorders.Asperger’sSyndrome is more common than autism, and the symptoms are milder,as there is minimal delay in language abilities, if at all. What is expressed with
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