It bothers me when I hear terms like 'reversing autism' or 'curing autism' because they can create false hope. Sometimes I wonder if these inflammatory terms are used specifically for their ability to sell something. It seems to me, a more accurate description would be 'managing autism' or even 'taming autism' since we (scientifically/physically) cannot re-channel/re-construct neurons and faulty synapses in the human brain--that is God's job. (If you know of new research to dispute this, please send a link.) I do think diet and supplements can minimize negative and/or obssessive autistic traits for some, but they surely cannot erase all the quirkiness--and why would you want to?!? They are special souls.
I recently ran across a quote-although I don't know whose it is-that I have taken to heart;
'Sometimes God throws you into deep water, not to drown, but to cleanse.' Now and then, it's a scrubbing that leaves me raw.
~a
»
- annaNaspie's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Comments
Neurons and new connections
Neurons and new connections are constantly being formed in the brain. hence the ability to learn new things and remember. Stroke patients can learn to use new areas of their brain to compensate for loss of speech for example. In a young child this is especially true, their brain and neural connections are even more plastic. For autistic people the same goes,
The brain is not an hard boiled egg. Thank God.
newness
Much like a computer, new information can be integrated in to the brain. However, the 'motherboard' or hard wiring is set. Can it be manipulated?-yes, but some issues will not change.
What issues and on what
What issues and on what basis?
The brain is a pretty unknown territory. Recent findings show that neural connectivity is plastic. The brain is plastic. Musicians have bigger areas in their brain that process music than other people and they were not born that way they made themselves that way so to speak by practicing and learning. So for a young child with autism. Pretty darn much can change with the right therapy. Everyone can learn and just the idea that someone or something can not change is limiting to peoples potential. Acceptance is nice and in a way necessary but it can be to much of a good thing and limit peoples reach and potential.
research
http://autism.about.com/od/causesofautism/a/AutismBrain_2.htm
The Autistic Brain is "Differently Wired"
What all of these brain findings have in common, Dr. Minshew explains, is that they point to autism as a disorder of the cortex. The cortex is the proverbial "gray matter": the part of the brain which is largely responsible for higher brain functions, including sensation, voluntary muscle movement, thought, reasoning, and memory.
In many autistic people, the brain develops too quickly beginning at about 12 months. By age ten, their brains are at a normal size, but "wired" atypically. "The brain is most complex thing on the planet," says Dr. Minshew. "So its wiring has to be very complex and intricate. With autism there's accelerated growth at the wrong time, and that creates havoc. The consequences, in terms of disturbing early development, include problems within the cortex and from the cortex to other regions of the cortex in ways that compromise language and reasoning abilities."
Minicolumns, which are small structures within the cortex, are also different among autistic people. Dr. Manuel Casanova, a researcher at the University of Kentucky, has found that autistic people have more minicolumns which include a greater number of smaller brain cells. In addition, the "insulation" between these minicolumns is not as effective as it is among typically developing people. The result may be that autistic people think and perceive differently and have less of an ability to block sensory input. The Down Side of Unique Wiring
If autistic brains are wired differently across the board, is it a problem? Of course, for many people -- and in many ways -- the answer is "yes."
Says Dr. Minshew, "Autism really impacts behavioral function in the brain very broadly. It effects sensory, motor, memory, and postural control -- anything that requires a high degree of integration of information. The symptoms are most prominent in social interaction and problem solving because they require highest degree of interaction." In fact, she continues, "They're socially/emotionally far more delayed than anyone ever thought, even if they have a high IQ. Temple Grandin, a well-known speaker and writer with autism, says she's emotionally about 7 - 10 years old."
The Up Side of Unique Wiring
While social and communication skills may be compromised by unique wiring in the brain, other abilities are actually enhanced. For example, says Dr. Minshew, "Autistic people have a really stellar ability to use the visual parts of the right side of the brain to compensate for problems with language processing. This may be the basis for detail-oriented processing -- and may be a decided advantage!" In fact, as she describes it, "Control children can't find Waldo. Autistic children can."
What Brain Differences Mean to You
Autism may be described as a syndrome characterized by specific neurological differences. But what does that mean to the parent or teacher of a person with autism?
To start with, it provides an understanding of what's going on in an autistic person's mind. Says Minshew: "They think differently becaue their brain is wired differently. They think logically and predictably, but differently. It's as if they're colorblind. You wonder why someone doesn't stop at a red sign -- and it's because they can't see it. Teachers need to be taught this. When the teacher says "ok close your books and hop over to the door" and the child hops, the teacher feels mocked. She hasn't been mocked; she's been obeyed."
Understanding differences in the autistic brain may also provide hints for better communication. For example, since it may be harder for a person with autism to process multiple ideas, or to multi-task, it makes sense to "say less; give the facts; don't give a lot of tone of voice and gestures and distractions. You'd be surprised how many behavior problems are related to that. Remember that the child is dealing with facts, not concepts."
How Understanding the Autistic Brain May Improve Outcomes
Will a better understanding of the autistic brain lead to better treatments? Minshew thinks the answer is "yes."
"I think treatments are coming. Functional underconnectivity studies show that there are increased neuronal fibers; these studies are consistent. Now we need to find out whether, if we do a certain cognitive paradigm, we increase connectivity. It probably can be done. But these will be very different cognitive therapies than ABA. There's a time for behavioral therapy, and a time for stopping that -- to shift from learning rules to being flexible and acquiring interactive circuity. In autistic brains, circuitry is developing into adulthood -- but it's not developing in the right way, and it stops developing too soon. With the right treatment, though, it can be pushed."
References:
Minshew, Nancy. Telephone interview. September 14, 2006.
Minshew, Nancy, Antonio Y. Hardan, Ragy R. Girgis, Jason Adams, Andrew R. Gilbert, Matcheri S. Keshavan . "Abnormal brain size effect on the thalamus in autism ." Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 147(2006): 145-151 .
~a