The Science of Autism spectrum disorder

Gamer B
Oct 29
3 min read

The Science of Autism spectrum disorder

Autism is one of the most misconstrued disorders, even if one in 44 children living in the United States is diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) . When people think about the disorder they think about someone who is very aggresive but often leaves out the fact that Autism is a spectrum, covering diffrent sympton. To begin,

What is Autism?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact, communicate, learn, and behave with others (Beckman, 2022.) Autism is often potrayed in the media as someone super smart in shows but that is not always the issue. Autistic people often have sensory differences such as: Being more sensitive or less sensitive than other people to sensory input, such as light, sound, clothing, or temperature.

People with ASD often have:

Difficulty with social communication and interaction with other people
Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors
Symptoms that affect their ability to function in school, work, and other areas of life

Social communication and social interaction behaviors may include:

Making little or inconsistent eye contact
Infrequently sharing interest, emotion, or enjoyment of objects or activities (including infrequently pointing at or showing things to others)
Not responding or being slow to respond to one’s name or other verbal bids for attention
Having difficulties with the back and forth of conversation
Often talking at length about a subject of interest without considering social cues or conversational give-and-take
Displaying facial expressions, movements, and gestures that do not match what is being said
Having an unusual tone of voice that may sound flat, lacking emotion or tonal variation
Having trouble understanding another person’s point of view or being unable to predict or understand other people’s actions
Difficulties adjusting behavior to different social situations
Difficulties sharing in imaginative play or in making friends

Restrictive/repetitive behaviors may include:

Repeating words or phrases (a behavior called echolalia)
Having a lasting intense interest in specific topics, such as numbers, details, or facts
Showing overly focused interests, such as with moving objects or with parts of objects
Becoming upset by slight changes in a routine and having difficulty with transitions

Not all people with ASD will have all behaviors, but most will have several of the behaviors listed below.

The science of Autism

Researchers do not know the primary causes of ASD, but studies suggest that a person’s genes and aspects of their environment may affect development in ways that lead to ASD. Some factors that are associated with an increased likelihood of developing ASD include:

Having a sibling with ASD
Having older parents
Having certain genetic conditions (such as Down syndrome or Fragile X syndrome)
Having a very low birth weight

Why Should We Have Sympathy for People with Anxiety Disorders?

People with ASD also may experience sleep problems and irritability. Dealing with any mental disorder is hard, in the case of Autism it is like being unable to talk to be inteact with people, imagine not having your friend to talk to.. Not only that Having a lasting intense interest in specific topics, such as numbers, details, or facts all for things out of your control because of how you were born, even though they isn’t a genetic marker for autism