Is the variety of severity of autism caused by each individual’s brain or their advancement?

Basically, why are some autistic people non functioning and other’s highly functional? nature or nurture?

Is it because of how their individual brain is, or their enviroment – how they were taught, what they were taught, and the things they were exposed to that could lead to their understanding of the world?

If autism is only being able to think in images, then maybe the difference between the advancement of the different autistic people is the enviroment they were raised in as much as the condition of their brain.

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If autism is a different setup inside the brain then obviously they would need to be educated in a different way.

Basically is autism a lack of understanding because no one taught them how to understand – OR is it because their brain is too abnormal to ever understand?

Why are some able to understand – eventually – and other’s are not. Is it becuse of their brain or what they’ve experienced? Oppinions are fine because no one really know for sure!

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It’s a combination of nature & nurture.

Genetics is the biggest factor in a child becoming autistic.

Example. My niece has classic autism (little or no speech, rocking, difficulty relating to others) If she had a identical twin, the odds would be about 60% her twin would be classic autism as well. There would be a 20% chance the twin would have a higher form of autism (like aspergers). There would be a 10% chance the twin would have difficulties in speech or sociallization & only a 10% chance her twin would be 100% normal.

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But if she had a FRATERNAL twin (no more genes shared than a sibling born at another time) this twin would be no more likely to be autistic than any other sibling – about 4%.

But if my niece was diagnosed at age two and if her parents had the money for the best training she could get, she would be far more developed than she is now.

Instead she was diagnosed at about 4 & a half & her parents are poor. She got very little help out side of public school until she moved near my mother & I. My mom is retired & I am a homemaker so we both take time to work with her & she has improved considerably in the 2 years she’s lived here.

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What is the probability of the sibling of a victim of autism having an autistic offspring?

My brother is autistic, and I am wondering 10-20 years down the road, were I to have children, what the chance of having an autistic child would be.

Autistics are not victims!

I am an Aspie/ADHD, my spouse is also an Aspie. We both have IQ’s over 140.

1 kid is a high functioning Autistic, 2 others are Aspies and 1 other is non-Autistic.

All my nephews and nieces are normal.
My parents are of average intelligence.
My oldest sibling is bi-polar as well as having schizophrenia with below average intellect (IQ ~75-80).

Does it run in families?
It must be passed down somewhere, somehow,seeing it is a genetic condition.

Will you have children that would be Autistic?
Very unlikely.

Why I beleive that?
I have over 65 cousins and 2nd cousins and none of them are Autistic to any degree.

What role does emotion have in the life of someone with autism?

I just find the whole disorder of autism hard to understand because I’m a really emotional person. I’m especially interested in how people with mild autism or Asperger’s can function fine but then when it comes to feeling empathy they have such trouble. I guess my question is how such people experience emotion–are these people actually unable to care about others? My intention is not to sound ignorant, I’m genuinely curious.

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People with autism spectrum disorders do have feelings and emotions. Many of us lack empathy, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care about others. For example when someone is really excited about something nice in their life, we may not get excited too. It’s not that we don’t care, it’s just that we don’t experience other people’s emotions with them.

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I can be happy for them while not really understanding or feeling the excitement involved. We don’t know exactly what the other person feels like and therefore we can hardly share in feeling those emotions with them. We also don’t always express our emotions or we don’t do it the same way as others.

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I care about others, I just cannot always put myself in their shoes and feel what they are feeling.

I think it’s also partly about us feeling emotions for different reasons than others. Many non-autistic people have trouble empathizing with me, so it’s a two way road. They don’t understand why I get upset about something that seems normal to them and therefore can’t empathize, just like I cannot empathize with them when they get upset for reasons I don’t understand.

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Autism and Seizures – where do i find information on seizures and neurologists.?

I am the parent of a old son with autism in his early twenties. He has had two seizures recently; of differing types – the first a grand mal – the second was very mild. I am looking for information on seizures in autistic young adults. I also need to find a neurologist or clinic in the area that understands autism and has experience dealing with their neurological issues. Does anyone have any information that can help me? I am in the Southern New England area but would travel a reasonable distance to get an evaluation from someone with experience (if necessary). Thanks

I am a epileptic (age 42) became a epileptic at the age of 37 and the very very VERY last place you should try is the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. The neurologist there are not helpful at all (Dr. Danielsson, Dr. Theodore and surgeon Dr. Heiss) are as useful as T I T S on a bull, I know this from experience, I was a patient and I had brain surgery to try and stop my seizures, the surgery did not stop them and when I told my doctors (above) at the (NINDS Department with-in NIH) they referred me to their lawyers. Good luck, please stay away from NIH, if you want to know and understand about your sons health
one place I would recommend is Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md. http://www.hopkinshospital.org/ They have terrific neurologists and they let you know everything about your health and are straight forward with you. From Southern New England Maryland is a little far to travel but maybe a phone call to them and maybe they can recommend a doctor in the New England area. I will say this to anyone with neurological problems stay away from the NINDS dept. at NIH !!!

Are most Canadians understanding of people with Autism?

I’m from the states but there are lots of people in my community who are on the autism spectrum and have extraordinarily high education levels. These people sadly are bullied, teased, shunned because of the way they talk, walk, the way they appear, and the way they are misjudged.

Until very recently, these people were not well understood by society and were sometimes even mistakened for psychopaths. Society even thought CURING these people was the answer. Or that autism is somehow linked to chemical toxins.

Then they hosted this thing on your CBC Radio where they focussed on an Autistic Self-Advocacy Group, happy people with Autism who have a different perspective of seeing the world in their own unique way. And it’s like another really fascinating minority group in Canada that has been misunderstood for so long. And now they are defending themselves. They have an Autistic Rights Network in the USA also.

What do Canadians think of these people and the fact they also suffer consquences whenever an actual nutcase (who has nothing to do with autism) makes these autistic people a target for the fact they exhibit deviant, but harmless social behaviours that are misunderstood?

Having lived in both Canada and the US, I find canadians to be far more supportive of people with disabilities – both physical and developmental. Canadians are far more supportive of many things.

How are vaccines and autism linked?

I’ve understood that autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder (wikipedia) but how is it blamed on vaccines if they only trigger the immune response? How do vaccines ultimately interfere with neural synapses? Or is it all just speculation/rumors?

At the end of the day, the people with results obviously have more answers. Most doctors successfully reversing the symptoms of autism appear to be against vaccines due to their belief that it effects the immune system in such a way that causes brain inflammation and inflammation in the blood vessels, especially in the back of the neck, as well as GI tract inflammation. Basically, this inflammation leads to malfunctioning throughout the body, causing numerous symptoms. There is much more to it. But, at the end of the day, are you going to listen to those who say they can not help your child with his/her autism or those who can? My children are recovered from autism.

Why do women have a hard time understanding my autism?

I have a mild case of autism where I find it hard to identify another person’s emotions. I can judge it if the other person’s emotion is strong, like strong fear or anger. But otherwise i’ll just completely miss it and carry on as if normal. My teachers used to have this problem with me since school as well, thats why I was always in detention etc.. Anyway, My girlfriend was upset because I forgot her birthday. She stopped talking to me, and tried to avoid me aparently, and I didn’t pick it up. It’s only when after a week or two she told me that she wants a break because she feels like I don’t care about her. I have told her many times that whatever she’s feeling, tell me, don’t just hide it and expect that I’ll pick it up, because I won’t. She still doesn’t listen to me. My ex’s were like this as well. Why do women have such a hard time listening to me? I don’t get it.

because it is not an excuse for everything.

how can I get respect from people who refuse to understand Autism?

i know a large group of people who is staying away from me because i have autism
so what is my best bet

I am not sure there is anything you can do, to make them understand what autism is.

Sadly many people don’t understand the complexity of autism, and as you have learnt some people have no interest in learning about or understand autism. And for some people it maybe they feel awkward and unsure how to interact with you.

Don’t try to be something your not, just be yourself, and show these people your very capable of many things with or with out their support or understanding.

How do parents cope with Autism?

I am a student in a program at my school called Teacher Cadet. And my assignment for this week is to create a brochure about educating parents.
I chose to ‘educate’ parents by helping them understand Autism
How does it feel to have a child with Austism? How do you cope? What are some activities do you do with your child to help them progress? What are some myths? What are some of the most asked questions, and also what are the answers?

Any information that you can give me would be amazing, and I would really appreciate it.

Thank you,
Christina.

here are two books where parents from all over the world will tell you what it is like to have children with autism. They talk about their biggest challenges, greatest blessings and words of wisdom, along with other things. one book is from the mothers and one book from the dads so you sort of have views from both parents. i love these books. they will make you cry. my son is in both books. the author has an autistic daughter.

http://www.autismthoughts.com/

What is Autism and what are the signs/symptoms?

I’m trying to understand Autism a little more. I don’t know anyone personally with it, just wondering if someone could describe it in simple terms. I’ve had people tell me they "know what it is" but cant really describe it.

Autism affects each person on an individual basis, so the symptoms are unique to each individual, they can be in any combination and range anywhere from mild to severe. There are also different forms of autism each ranging from mild to severe. There are other conditions that can co-exist with the autism, other conditions that have similiar symptoms, and some condtions that share some symptoms of autism. The link below has information about each form of autism including characteristics, diagnosing, etc and has information about other conditions that can co-exist with the autism, other conditions that have similiar symptoms, and some condtions that share some symptoms of autism.

You’re basic symptoms are: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis_char

Insistence on sameness; resistance to change

Difficulty in expressing needs, using gestures or pointing instead of words

Repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive language (echolalia)

Laughing (and/or crying) for no apparent reason showing distress for reasons not apparent to others

Preference to being alone; aloof manner

Tantrums

Difficulty in mixing with others

Not wanting to cuddle or be cuddled

Little or no eye contact

Unresponsive to normal teaching methods

Sustained odd play

Spinning objects

Obsessive attachment to objects

Apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain which ties into Sensory Integration- any of their senses can be over or under sensitive

No real fears of danger

Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity

Uneven gross/fine motor skills

Non responsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf, although hearing tests in normal range

Aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior

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It really depends on the individual because autism affects each person differently regardless of what form they have.
Here’s some basic/general things that may help you have a better understanding of autism and how it affects an individual, but again it depends on the individual as how they are affected.

Many have receptive and expressive language disorder so it is best to speak directly to them in plain words and it’s good to speak to them at eye level for example if it is a child.

They interpret language very literally, e.g. If you said ‘that’ll be a piece of cake’ in meaning it will be easy, they would look for the actual piece of cake. Idioms, puns, nuances, double entendres, inference, metaphors, allusions and sarcasm can and will confuse them.

Many have limited vocabulary, sometimes they don’t know what words to use to let someone know they need something or the words in order to describe something which can lead to body language, withdrawal, agitation or other signs that something is wrong.

Many have echolalia, which is saying words or phrases that come from books, people, tv, etc. over and over again..they may say it but they don’t necessarily understand what they are saying.

Many are very visually oriented, sometimes it is best to show them as well as telling them, and to show them several times, they learn best by consistant repetition. Like for a child a visual schedule helps them through the transistions of their day.

They have trouble with social interactions, most don’t know how to “read” facial expressions, body language or the emotions of others. For a child, structured play activities that have a clear beginning and end are best. Sometimes they don’t know how to start a conversation or enter a play situation.

Many have sensory issues, everyday lights, sounds, odors, tastes, and textures can be very uncomfortable to them and give them a sensory overload; e.g. certain lights can hurt their eyes, noises can hurt their ears, sweet odors to us can smell awful to them, sweet tasting stuff to us can taste awful to them, something soft to touch can be painful to them to touch. They can also have under sensivity, for example, some have self-injurious behavior, they don’t realize what they are doing should hurt because they can’t feel the pain like we do, or they may be able to tolerate much higher pitched noises than we can because they don’t hear they full volume of the noise as we do.

Meltdowns, blow-ups, tantrums: All their behavior usually a form of communication that they simply don;t know how to communicate as we do. They can occur because one or more of their senses has gone into overload; they are frustrated; etc.. many things can play into their behavior.

Some must be comfortable around you before they will socialize with you or have contact with you, e.g. when my son began behavioral therapy he didn’t want anything to do with the therapist, didn’t want to be near her or touched by her, after seeing her for a about a month (he seen her 1x a week for a hour) he would socialize with her and would sit on her lap, give her hugs, etc. In a sense, it’s like they have to learn to trust you first.

They usually are very honest and to the point; don’t care about the superficial crap in life and so on.

I also suggest reading a couple of excerpts from books by Ellen Notbohm, one is titled Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew http://graphicpieces.com/autism10thingschild.html , & Ten Things Your Student With Autism Wishes You Knew http://graphicpieces.com/autism10thingsstudent.html , they will give you some basic insight about autism and how it can affect someone and give you a better understanding of autism from their perspective.

I want to state one thing that I don’t feel is totally true, someone stated that people with autism tend to focus on one area, or say excel in one area and yes that is very true in many cases with autism but not with all, some do excel in more areas than one and I say this because my son is one of those who do excel in more than one area.. and some don’t excel in any particular area at all and I feel that is one of the many misunderstandings of autism.

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