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These findings indicate that genetic susceptibility is one important factor in determining who will be afflicted with autism. In dizygotic twins, who share half of their genetic makeup, the probability that both siblings will have autism is closer to 10 to 20 percent-about the same risk for a child who has an older sibling with autism. In monozygotic twins, who have identical genetic makeup, if one twin is diagnosed with autism, in about 60 percent of the cases the other twin will also be autistic. Several decades of twin and family studies show that genes make a substantial contribution to the causes of autism. The Story So Far in the Genetics of Autism: Things are Complicated The range of severity of the core symptoms of autism and with these other problems has led to the term “autism spectrum disorders”, but as the terminology is currently undergoing revision, I will use the term autism as shorthand for all forms of autism spectrum disorders I write about here. Individuals with autism commonly have one or more additional-called “co-morbid”-problems including epilepsy, anxiety, and gastrointestinal distress, and food allergies. Autism is four times more common in boys than girls, and is sometimes accompanied by severe developmental delays. The essential criteria for diagnosis include age under 3 years, impairments of social interaction, difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive or highly focused behaviors. A Short Primer on the Basics of AutismĪutism spectrum disorders cross all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic levels and all national boundaries. No one is sure to what extent this increase is due to better awareness and diagnostics or a substantive rise in the disorder, but many observers consider autism a national health emergency. The numbers of children diagnosed with autism have increased dramatically, from less than 1 in 2000 people in the 1980’s to around 1 out of 110 children in the United States today. Thanks to brave parents, their foundations, and more recently the NIH, the investments in autism research have helped define the spectrum of developmental disorders that constitute autism.
#PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER AUTISM FULL#
Congress about special research funding, autism appears to have our full attention. Whether it is a young boy with autism on a news magazine cover, or Claire Danes collecting an Oscar for her portrayal of Temple Grandin, the animal science professor whose writings about her life provide rare insights into the autistic mind, or the debate in the U.S. Amaral, Ph.D., University of California Davis Health System, explains what exactly Autism is, and where the most promising research on the subject is currently located.įigure 1: From Redcay and Courchesne, When Is the Brain Enlarged in Autism? A Meta-Analysis of All Brain Size Reports, Biological Psychiatry, 2005 58:1–9 No disorder captures the attention of the nation like Autism.