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Autism
,Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/ChenXiansheng|ChenXiansheng]] ([[User talk:ChenXiansheng|talk]]) to last revision by [[User:LT|LT]]
[[File:Autismbrain.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|Autism affects the [[amygdala]], [[cerebellum]], and multiple other parts of the brain.]]'''Autism''' is a neurological type of pervasive developmental disorder, . It is characterized by inability to interact sociallydifficulties with social interaction; difficulties with verbal communication, especially pragmatic language; linguistic disabilitydifficulty processing nonverbal communication such as facial expression; intense, narrow interests; difficulty adjusting to changes in routine; and repetitive behaviors. These are called stims or stimming. They include walking on tiptoes, flapping of hands, staring at objects for a prolonged period of time, oral fixation, spinning in circles, and other repetitive activities. Other signs include lack of eye contact, playing alone, lack of words, delayed or in the case of Asperger's syndrome possessing a large vocabulary and intense knowledge of specialized areas but a lack of social unusual play skills , hypo- or inappropriate behaviorhyper-sensitivity to sensory stimuli, and anxiety. <ref>http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/development-disorder?page=2</ref> It is usually detected by the time a child is four years old but in some cases, autism goes unnoticed into adulthood. There are many intelligent and talented autistic individuals.<ref>Temple Grandin, "Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism" amazon link httphttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307275655/ref=wl_it_dp/103-3432247-4184629?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1CWNFSEUCIXQL&colid=49VN3HJC5OQK</ref> The term '''autism''' was first used in 1912.
Diagnoses of autism has increased from 1:10,000 in 1988 to 1:166 people today. Some estimates are as high as 1 in 150 people ,<ref>httphttps://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/faq_prevalence.htm</ref>, and it has been rising. Four times as many boys suffer from autism as girls.<ref name="Clinic Stats">http://www.iupui.edu/~psycdept/autism/autism.htm</ref> Among boys, 1 in 94 has the disorder. In New Jersey, which has the highest rate in the nation, 1 in every 60 boys has autism and 1 in every 94 children is affected. There is a seizure disorder in about one-third of those who have autism.<ref name="Clinic Stats"/>
Autism is a spectrum disorder which means there is a range was first identified clinically in how it affects different people1943 by Dr. There is the fragile x syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, pdd nos, mild autism, moderate autism, severe autism, and some [[idiot savantsLeo Kanner]]. Autistic children will not all act like the character portrayed Dr. Hans Asperger, in collusion with the movie ''[[Rain ManNazi Party]], also did some research into autism at about the same time and discovered Asperger''s syndrome. Nor are all autistic children uncaring or unable to show emotionAs early as the 1990s, in fact many are very caringintervention strategies, including Applied Behavioral Analysis ([[ABA therapy]]), were used to treat autism or mitigate its symptoms.
Autism was first identified in 1943 (especially high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome) rights are promoted by Dr. the [[Leo Kannerneurodiversity]]movement. Dr. Hans Asperger also did some research into The autism at about the same time and discovered Asperger's syndrome. As early rights movement, also known as the 90's many psychotherapies were used to treat it. One very effective treatmentautistic acceptance movement, though not is a social movement within the context of disability rights that emphasizes a cureneurodiversity paradigm, is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA therapy)viewing the autism spectrum as a result of natural variations in the human brain rather than as a disease to be cured.
==Theories How does autism develop?==[[File:US autism 6 17 1996-2007.svg.png|thumbnail|200px|left|In the United States, reports of causes autism cases per 1,000 children grew dramatically from 1996 to 2007. It is unknown how much, if any, of that growth came from changes in autism's actual prevalence.<ref>*Prevalence and changes in diagnostic practice:Fombonne E. The prevalence of autism. JAMA. 2003;289(1):87–9.*Wing L, Potter D. The epidemiology of autistic spectrum disorders: is the prevalence rising? Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev. 2002;8(3):151–61.</ref>]]In 2011, Jonathan Rabinovitz published in ''Scope'', a publication of [[Stanford University|Stanford]] Medicine: "Autism has sometimes been described as a disease of industrialized high-technology societies."<ref name=="Autism in Africa">[http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2011/09/14/autism-in-africa/ Autism in Africa?], Jonathan Rabinovitz published in ''Scope'', a publication of [[Stanford University|Stanford]] Medicine, 2011</ref> For example, evidence suggest that environmental toxins are a causal factor of autism.<ref>[https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/autism-and-toxic-chemicals-are-pollutants-fueling-rising-prevalence Autism and Toxic Chemicals: Are Pollutants Fueling Rising Prevalence?]</ref> See also: [http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/basics/causes/con-20021148 Causes of Autism - Mayo Clinic].
Although there have been no formal epidemiological studies, the evidence suggests that autism is rare in the economically developing continent of Africa and mainly exists within elite families.<ref name="Autism in Africa"/><ref>[http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/11/out-of-africa-a.html Out of Africa and Into Autism: More Evidence Illuminates the Somali Anomaly in Minnesota], By Mark F. Blaxill, AgeofAutism.com website (I don't agree with the anti-vaccine portion of the article)</ref> In addition, the traditional [[Africa]]n diet is healthier than many Western World invividuals' diets and Africa has some of the lowest obesity rates in the world.<ref>*[https://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/worlds-fattest-countries-forbeslife-cx_ls_0208worldfat.html World's fattest countries]*[http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030612p26.shtml Traditional African diets are healthier than Western diets], Today's Nutrition</ref> Furthermore, Africa is a religious continent with high birth rates. === Low rate of autism among the Amish === The American Amish have a low autism rate which may be due to their healthy and simple lifestyle, their genetic makeup or both.<ref>*[https://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/12/04/4-healthy-habits-to-steal-from-amish.html 4 healthy habits to steal from the Amish], Fox News Health, December 04, 2014*"[http://www.internalmedicine.osu.edu/genetics/article.cfm?id=5307 Amish Have Lower Rates of Cancer, Ohio State Study Shows]". Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Medical Center. January 1, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.*Puffenberger, EG; Jinks, RN; Wang, H; Xin, B; Fiorentini, C; Sherman, EA; Degrazio, D; Shaw, C; Sougnez, C; Cibulskis, K; Gabriel, S; Kelley, RI; Morton, DH; Strauss, KA (Dec 2012). "A homozygous missense mutation in HERC2 associated with global developmental delay and autism spectrum disorder". Human Mutation 33 (12): 1639–1646*Jackman, C; Horn, ND; Molleston, JP; Sokol, DK (Apr 2009). "Gene associated with seizures, autism, and hepatomegaly in an Amish girl". Pediatric Neurology 40 (4): 310–313.*Alarcón, Maricela; Abrahams, Brett S.; Stone, Jennifer L.; Duvall, Jacqueline A.; Perederiy, Julia V.; Bomar, Jamee M.; Sebat, Jonathan; Wigler, Michael; Martin, Christa L.; Ledbetter, David H.; Nelson, Stanley F.; Cantor, Rita M.; Geschwind, Daniel H. (10 January 2008). "Linkage, Association, and Gene-Expression Analyses Identify CNTNAP2 as an Autism-Susceptibility Gene". American Journal of Human Genetics 82 (1): 150–159</ref> Due to their high levels of physical activity, the Amish have low rates of obesity.<ref>*[https://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/12/04/4-healthy-habits-to-steal-from-amish.html 4 healthy habits to steal from the Amish], Fox News Health, December 04, 2014</ref> David N. Brown indicated: "In March 2006, Drs. Kevin Strauss, Holmes Morton and others documented 9 autistic Amish children, which could raise the autism rate of the Lancaster Amish community Olmsted supposedly investigated to almost 1/5,000 which is still a fraction of the US average of 1/68."<ref>Puffenberger, EG; Jinks, RN; Wang, H; Xin, B; Fiorentini, C; Sherman, EA; Degrazio, D; Shaw, C; Sougnez, C; Cibulskis, K; Gabriel, S; Kelley, RI; Morton, DH; Strauss, KA (Dec 2012). "A homozygous missense mutation in HERC2 associated with global developmental delay and autism spectrum disorder". Human Mutation 33 (12): 1639–1646</ref><ref>Jackman, C; Horn, ND; Molleston, JP; Sokol, DK (Apr 2009). "Gene associated with seizures, autism, and hepatomegaly in an Amish girl". Pediatric Neurology 40 (4): 310–313.</ref><ref>Alarcón, Maricela; Abrahams, Brett S.; Stone, Jennifer L.; Duvall, Jacqueline A.; Perederiy, Julia V.; Bomar, Jamee M.; Sebat, Jonathan; Wigler, Michael; Martin, Christa L.; Ledbetter, David H.; Nelson, Stanley F.; Cantor, Rita M.; Geschwind, Daniel H. (10 January 2008). "Linkage, Association, and Gene-Expression Analyses Identify CNTNAP2 as an Autism-Susceptibility Gene". American Journal of Human Genetics 82 (1): 150–159</ref> === Maternal obesity === Case Adams, N.D. declared:{{cquote|Recent research from the University of California at Davis has found autism to be linked with the accumulation of toxins within fat cells. This finding corresponds with previous research linking autism to immunosuppression, toxin antibodies and environmental exposures for the mother, which links to toxicity and immunosuppression. The new research, led by Paula Krakowiak, PhD candidate, analyzed 1,000 children and found that autism was 67% more likely among children from obese mothers.<ref>[http://www.realnatural.org/moms-obesity-autism-linked-to-toxins/ Autism Linked to Toxin Exposure During Pregnancy]</ref>}} === Other physical Factors: Additional information === The Autism Society says, "Researchers are investigating problems during pregnancy or delivery as well as environmental factors, such as viral infections, metabolic imbalances, and exposure to environmental chemicals." [http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatcauses] There are claims that environmental toxins increase the risk of autism, just as they increase the risk of cancer. [[New Jersey]] has the highest rate of cancer in the nation, presumably due to a heavy concentration of environmental toxins, and it also has the highest rate of autism. Autistic patients are observed to have higher levels of metals and other toxins. === Genetics === Some experts suspect that there is a genetic susceptibility to autism.<ref>http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/09/studies-new-clues-to-the-genetic-roots-of-autism/</ref><ref>https://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/08/11/autism-adhd-share-genetic-similarities/</ref><ref>https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-autism-20110815,0,3154651.story</ref><ref>Happé F, Ronald A. The 'fractionable autism triad': a review of evidence from behavioural, genetic, cognitive and neural research. Neuropsychol Rev. 2008;18(4):287–304</ref><ref>Freitag CM. The genetics of autistic disorders and its clinical relevance: a review of the literature. Mol Psychiatry. 2007;12(1):2–22. doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001896. PMID 17033636</ref> The genetics of this condition are not fully understood; perhaps caused by complex interactions between multiple genes which would account for the "spectrum" like differences in the severity of many cases <ref>http://66.102.1.104/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:7kMNqvTgRtoJ:www.ikhebeenvraag.be/mediastorage/FSDocument/52/Freitag-2.pdf+</ref><ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17764594</ref> Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at the [[University of Cambridge]] (U.K.) notes the strong evidence says that males and females are hardwired for different behavior, with boys tending to be stronger at mechanics, categorizing and systemizing information, mathematics, etc. and girls stronger at emotionalizing and empathizing. He has proposed that autism is merely an extreme version of the [[male brain type]], in which the (female) urge to empathize is nearly absent and the brain is almost entirely hardwired for the (male) tasks of systemizing.<ref>Baron-Cohen, Simon. ''The Essential Difference'', Basic Books 2003.</ref>
Leo Kanner in a 1949 paper identified "parental coldness" and a "lack of maternal warmth" in the parents of autistic children, leading to the term ''refrigerator mother''. The theory here is autism is caused by incomplete [[socialization]] during early childhood because of emotionally cold parents. The book ''Toxic Psychiatry'' by Peter Briggin notes that the frigid mother theory of autism was abandoned in recent years due to pressure groups.<ref>Briggin, Peter R. ''Toxic Psychiatry'', New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.</ref>
Lenny Schafer, editor of the ''Schafer Autism Report'', rejects outright the current characterization of mild social retardation (such as "[[Asperger syndrome|Asperger's syndrome]]") as forms of autism. He notes that autism is a disability, and if a person is not disabled from participation in society by their condition, in such areas as being able to hold a job or communicate, including communication over the Internet, they are not autistic and should not be diagnosed as such. He accordingly rejects that there can be such a thing as autistic self-advocacy, as anyone who is truly autistic would not have that ability.<ref>http://www.sarnet.org/</ref> This view is highly controversial in the field, and has led to the development of the "autistic spectrum" to better characterize and diagnose autism and autism-like disorders.
''Wired'' magazine has referred to autism as a "geek syndrome", or essentially as a form of identity-politics-for-computer-nerds.<ref>httphttps://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aspergers_pr.html</ref>. Those favoring this interpretation of autism have coined new terminology, including "neurodiversity" for a population with and without autistic individuals , and using the term "neurotypical" for those without autism.
==External LinksSigns and Symptoms==[[File:Simon Baron-Cohen.jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|The [[autism-spectrum quotient]] is a questionnaire published by [[Simon Baron-Cohen]] and his coworkers at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, UK. The questionnaire consists of fifty questions and aims to determine whether adults of average intelligence have symptoms of autism or one of the other autism spectrum conditions.<ref>Woodbury-Smith MR, Robinson J, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S (2005). "[http://docs.autismresearchcentre.com/papers/2005_Woodbury-Smith_etal_ScreeningAdultsForAS.pdf Screening adults for Asperger Syndrome using the AQ: a preliminary study of its diagnostic validity in clinical practice]" (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord 35 (3): 331–5.</ref>]]According to the DSM-IV, autism is characterized by the following:
#http://www.autismdigest.com/
#http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/
#http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer
#http://www.autismlink.com/
#[http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/are-autism-and-vaccines-linked Opposing Views: Are Autism and Vaccines Linked?]
#[http://www.neurodiversity.com/main.html Neurodiversity - An Incredible Resource for Autism Related Information]
#http://homeschoolaustralia.com/index/specialneeds.html Homeschooling Australia's Autism Page