I'm increasingly finding myself typing the same information, over and over, in various Autism and Special Needs related groups on how I view Autism, what I believe is the cause of Autism, and what I think about the topic of Autism cures. To save a bit of time, I shall put all my thoughts into this blog and update it as I feel the need to elaborate on it all. Please read on to view my perspective on it all.
So, what causes Autism?
In order to answer this particular question you first need to understand the physical structure of the Autistic brain, and there are known differences, when making comparisons to a non-Autistic brain.
Firstly, the brain of a person on the Autism Spectrum has some areas that are lacking in grey-matter and some areas that are excessive with grey-matter. It's as if the synapses have been distributed unevenly. The parts of the brain that are lacking will have less combinations of synapses to experiment with when it comes to learning and hopefully mastering a new skill, while the parts of the brain that are excessive will have extra synapses to experiment with before a new skill can be mastered. This can explain why it takes longer for people on the Autism Spectrum to develop milestones or to just learn how to do some things in general. The areas that are lacking, simply don't have as many options to choose from when it comes time to figure out which combinations of synapses make the best connections for the neurotransmitters to flow through. The areas that are excessive have an extra amount of synapses to play around with before deciding which are the best pathways for the neurotransmitters, so they take longer to learn because they have more options when it comes time to figure out which are the best connections to use.
Secondly, the brain of a person on the Autism Spectrum lacks the ability to deactivate redundant synapses. These are the ones that are no longer in use because they weren't the best options to choose from after a new skill was formed or a milestone was reached. This means that even after a skill has been learnt, the brain is still experimenting to find out which synapses make the best connections for the neurotransmitter to flow through, because it still has multiple options for the neurotransmitters to pass through. It's why some people on the Spectrum can know how to do something but still be unsure of how to go about it properly no matter how many times they've done it before. They've learnt the skill, but the brain is still trying to figure out if any other synapse combinations will work, long after it's been established that the other combinations are actually not the best choices.
Thirdly, the brain of a person on the Autism Spectrum has a smaller corpus callosum than would otherwise be considered normal. The corpus callosum is the section of the brain containing white matter that connects the left and right hemispheres. The exchange of information between the left and right hemispheres can be of some benefit, with the left brain being used mainly for language, logic, and mathematics, and the right brain being used mainly for face recognition, music processing, spatial abilities, and visual imagery. If some information needs to be processed that requires both logic and spatial awareness, for example, then the logical left brain will need to interact with the spatial aware right brain. If you're on the Autism Spectrum, then this interaction may be inhibited due to a lack of connections in the reduced corpus callosum. This also explains why Autism diagnosis is more prevalent in boys than in girls. Girls have larger corpus callosums compared to boys even if they don't have Autism, so a reduced size may not cause such a noticable difference for some girls, as they would have had a larger connection between the brain hemispheres to begin with.
Autism is therefore a result of all these brain differences in combination with each other. The reason that each person on the Autism Spectrum is unique and that Autism is a spectrum, is because the amount of redistribution of the grey matter, the amount of redundant brain cells that remain active, and the amount of reduction in the size of the Corpus Callosum varies from one person to the next.
In order to answer the question of what causes Autism, we have to determine what caused the brain differences to occur. The human brain begins development at around the third gestational week. The design layout for the brain has already been determined at this point by the DNA which was created from the moment of conception using a combination of biological information from both biological parents. If any one of the biological parents has an Autistic like brain, even if just slightly so that no one is even aware that they have Autistic tendencies, then there's a chance that the baby will also develop a brain with Autistic tendencies. If both parents have an Autistic like brain, again even if just slightly, then there is an even greater chance that the baby will develop a brain with Autistic tendencies. Genetics breed true. When we reproduce, we donate a part of our own biological make-up to our children. So using this reasoning, it's pretty safe to say that Autism is caused by genetics, or if neither parent has an Autistic like brain, possibly by genetic mutations at the point of conception. Reproduction is therefore the main culprit. Autism is caused by how the DNA strands are formed at the point of an individual's conception.
So why do some people show signs of Autism from birth, yet others don't seem to show any signs until later, lets say for example, not until the ages of 2 or 3 years? Why do some people seem to develop normally, or even at an advanced pace, yet seem to change overnight? Did a vaccination or other introduced substance cause this sudden change? Repeated studies, including double blind and triple blind studies say no. It's more likely that the child has suddenly come to a phase in brain development where the brain differences are now showing their weaknesses. This just happens to coincide with the recommended ages for certain vaccinations, so the vaccinations get the blame even though there is no scientific evidence to back this theory up. Scientific evidence actually debunks the myth and proves that the vaccinations are not responsible for the changes at all. As mentioned earlier, each person on the Spectrum is unique so each will present differently. While some children seem to talk and sit up or walk and be aware of their surroundings early, others develop normally for the first couple of years of life outside the womb, while other don't show any signs of development at all. It's quite normal for some children on the Spectrum to show advanced intellectual development from an extremely early age, probably due to those extra brain synapses which gives the child a head start over other children. When the child finally reaches a certain age of brain development that is hindered by the physical differences in brain structure, it will begin to cause chaos and confusion and could possibly impede that which has already been learnt, which would lead to what some people call regression. In other cases, the parents may just not be aware of how Autism presents itself, and don't actually realise there is something different with their child until milestones aren't reached that would normally present themselves at around the ages of 2 or 3.
Can Autism be caused by food intolerances and gut issues? No, the brain structure has already been determined from conception. If there are food intolerances and gut issues, then they can cause discomfort and distress for a person on the Autism Spectrum more than they might do for someone who is not on the spectrum, and this can be distracting enough that it actually impedes learning and development. A change of diet will actually benefit those who are affected this way as it will allow the individual to get on with life without having that particular problem to stress over. It can make such a difference that learning will begin where it was previously not happening. This will not benefit anyone who does not have a food intolerance or gut issue though, so don't try and force yucky foods into a child's diet in the belief it will cure his or her Autism if there is no evidence of a food intolerance or gut issue to begin with. You'll just be making the child feel miserable which itself can impede their learning abilities. It's usually hard enough to get them to eat what they like without introducing things they won't like if there's absolutely no need for it. I've tasted gluten free products myself. Some are palatable, others are simply bad for the taste buds. Don't force it if they don't need it. If someone on the spectrum has a limited diet, there is a method that my partner formulated for my youngest son which worked so well, he now eats the same meals as the rest of the family. Click on this link to see what we did and see if it works for them too. Just remember, what works for one does not necessarily work for everyone. I'm constantly telling people that each person on the Spectrum is unique, so don't think you've failed or done something wrong if your child doesn't show the same results for things that worked with others.
Can Autism be cured?
In a nutshell, no. You would have to somehow rearrange the physical brain structure of the individual so that the grey-matter was more evenly distributed amongst the different parts of the brain. You would also have to find a way to force the brain to deactivate redundant synapses once it was determined that they were of no use, and you would have to increase the size of the corpus callosum to increase the amount of information that could be exchanged between the brain's left and right hemispheres.
Autism is not a static condition though. It can become less challenging for some individuals as they learn and grow at their own pace. With time, patience and nurturing, some (not all) on the Spectrum will eventually learn how to overcome some of their hurdles in life to the point where they may be able to gain employment as adults, or learn how to drive, or even raise a family of their own. Others will never learn how to tie their own shoelaces or dress themselves without assistance. I'll say it again, each individual on the Spectrum is unique and will grow and develop at their own pace, which may be barely at all for some or to a point where some might think they've been cured in others. Even if an individual progresses to the point where it's hard to notice that they're on the Autism Spectrum, they still have the same physical brain differences. They've just had better luck in the learning and developing department.
So unless you actually perform a successful brain transplant and then somehow transfer the individual's memories into the new brain from the old one, Autism cannot be cured. It can improve over time, but it won't disappear completely. Instead of looking for a cure, people should simply accept people on the spectrum for the unique individuals they are and concentrate on making life easy for them. Give them an environment where they can flourish and learn at their own pace, with smaller class sizes that have less distractions, one on one teaching, teacher's aides, and individual learning plans for those that need it. Don't try and force them to be someone they're not. They're just as human as the next person. They just have different ways of processing information and different capabilities when it comes to human interaction. They're all unique, just as everyone who is not on the Spectrum is unique. Autism is a very misunderstood condition for those who don't know how Autism works. Education is what's needed. Not just for those on the Spectrum, but even more so for those who are not on the Spectrum.
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