“Why Autism is Different in the Brains of Girls than in Boys” written by Alexandra Stifferlin was published by Time Magazine on May 12, 2015. In this article, Stifferlin discusses that both biological and social reasons might be why girls are less diagnosed with autism than boys.
For every girl diagnosed with autism there is four boys. Autism is a perplexing disorder that researchers are still utilizing studies to understand better when it comes to gender differences. A new study published in Molecular Autism, UC Davis MIND Institute researchers looked at the corpus callosum in hopes of finding a difference in boys versus girls. Prior research had show that there would be differences. The study found that the organization of fibers within the
Autism has become one of the top disabilities in California’s developmental system. Today, the rise of autism is increasing by 10 - 17 percent each year. (Madeleine 3) "The disease was first identified by child psychologist Leo Kanner in 1943 at Johns Hopkins University" (Little 2). Autism is a disorder that is usually detected within the first three years. According to the Autism Society of America, 1 in 166 individuals are diagnosed with autism, making it more common than the pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. Boys are four times more likely to have it than girls. People with autism have a hard time communicating verbally and physically. They have special ways of gathering and reacting to information presented to them.
HW: Meta-Analysis- Investigating the genetic and prognostic Sex Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Introduction: While Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) has been researched extensively, the role of gender in this disease is still poorly understood. With a 4:1 gender distribution in the diagnosis of ASD, many research studies have attempted to explain this difference (Fombonne,2009). Current research has theorized about various different etiologies for this gender discrepancy, such as a female protective effect (Jacquemont et al., 2014). The female protective effect suggests that females must demonstrate higher levels of genetic risk factors in order to reach clinically impaired functional status and therefore be diagnosed (Chawarska,
Imagine someone, like myself, being shunned by her own peers in school simply by acting a little different. I was labeled as weird, annoying, and a whiner. The way that I approach with others may not be the most appropriate way to gain some friends. The way I act when I am cheerful, down, or irritated may also be different and the fact that I would leave class for speech therapy a few times a week may not be as normal as I thought it was. However, I did show some intelligence in class, especially math while struggling in Language Arts. Over the years, I manage to grew out most of my speech problems but retain my own unique personality and behavior. Eventually, I made some friends in my high school years and even graduated with honors from
Autism has affected many different families, in many different ways. More families with boys than girls, mostly because girls many of them may go misdiagnoesd or undiagnosed all together. Autism is tested for around age five unless the child is showing symptoms earlier than age five.
To understand this, we must first understand what the recognized perception of autism is. For most of the public and many within the research community, autism is seen as a very masculine disease. Not only do males make up most of the population diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, but autism is also seen as an exaggeration of the stereotypical male brain. As a matter of fact, Simon Baron-Cohen, the scientist who discovered the “extreme male brain” (EMB) theory of autism, found that females on the autism spectrum displayed more masculinized personality traits. Baron-Cohen acknowledged that there was a slight difference in the severity of
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development (“What is Autism,” 2014). Autism is very common, it affects over 200,000 people in the United States per year. Autism can be treated but there is no known cure for autism, it can only last for a couple of years or a lifetime. This disorder is a serious development disorder that impairs the patient’s ability to interact and communicate with others. This disorder attacks the nervous system, it is known to affect ages 3-60 and is more likely to affect males over females. The symptoms can vary, the most common symptoms include
In a recent study done in August of 2013, scientists found that autism had a peculiar affect on the female brain. Researchers were looking to find differences between the two genders, something to support the already explored EMR theory, (also known as the “Extreme Male Brain Theory”), but they did not expect the possibility of the female autistic brain having a masculine resemblance. Scientists studied several men and women, with and without autism, which led to the discovery of the differences between the two genders.
1 in 68 births in the United States will result in a child with autism. According to the Autism Society of America, it is reported as the fastest-growing disability, reaching epidemic proportions at a rate of 10-17 percent per year. Most parents recognize the signs and symptoms of autism anytime between birth and the first three years of their child’s life. Autism is classified as a neurological disorder and it affects the normal development of a child’s brain. Autism is not just one disorder, but a group of related disorders with a shared set of symptoms. All children on the autism spectrum have three major challenges; they are with social skills ab nd behavior, communication and cognition. Autism can be identified by a certain set of behaviors, but children can have any combination of the behaviors at any degree of severity. In fact, when it comes to their behaviors and abilities, no two kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are the same; each child has their own unique capabilities, symptoms, and challenges. There are many different treatments and medications used to remedy and lessen the symptoms of autism. They include different types of therapies and training, special diets, vitamin supplements, as well as, complementary and alternative medicines. Music therapy is the most effective treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder. Of all the therapies associated with autism, none achieve more positive results. No other type of treatment helps children to
The history of autism is not that old, but it is affecting many children life. According to the research done by Goin-Kochel, R. , Abbacchi, A. , Constantino, J. , & Consortium, A. (2007) did interesting research on different phenotypes of autism. They did the study using two distinct samples of male and female. The result from the sample proves that there is four times high prevalence of ASD on male than in female.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects over 2 million individuals in U.S alone, and is one of the fast growing serious developmental disabilities in the U.S (www.autismspeaks.org.). Autism is however five times more common in males than females, with studies showing
Imagine not picking up on social rules and cues, even as your peers are progressing rapidly. The way they act and speak to each other appears magical to you. Imagine having some days where you can hear but can’t understand what words are being said. Imagine being overwhelmed by every movement, noise, and smell one day, while craving that same stimulation the next day. Imagine having an extraordinary ability to see detail no one else can. Imagine finding divine pleasure in every little thing having to do with your favorite interests. What you’re imagining are just some of the experiences I live with day-to-day. I do have a disability but it also gives me unique abilities. Autism is a neurological and developmental disorder, affecting the entire brain structure and activity; though, I will mostly be discussing the physical consequences of this condition. The type of Autism I have is called Asperger’s Syndrome, but this is not my official diagnosis since the DSM now utilizes the umbrella-term Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Stated previously autism is neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the brain by disrupting social and cognitive functions. For the best non-invasive way to see the affects on the brain is an MRI machine. Evidence shows that an increase in size of the overall brain is one of the primary signs; more specific the parieto-temporal lobe, and enlargement of the cerebellar hemisphere volumes was a common sign of Autism. Also abnormalities in the limbic system and cerebellum contribute the pathophysiology of autism. These changes are most related to the abnormal brain development in early life. To simplify things, autistic children have excessive amount of nerve fibers, but they do not work well and there for communicate between fiber is non-existent. Because of these large amounts of fiber explains the overall enlargement of the brain. Even though at birth the brain is normal or smaller than normal size, it goes through a period of rapid growth between six to fourteen
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by the early-onset inability to engage in social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive behavior. It is commonly known to be a developmental disorder. Genetics, in conjunction with developmentally early environmental factors, play a key role in the causation of autism. Studies show that autism is more prevalent in males than females, although there is not much difference in individuals with intellectual disability. Because atypical development is now being recognized early in toddlers, children are now frequently diagnosed at the age of 2 years and last into adulthood, although symptoms may improve over time. A wide range of health care providers are the first professionals to
Autism is a scientific labyrinth, providing an infinite amount of questions but very few answers. Over the past few decades there has been a significant rise in the number of people who have been diagnosed with Autism. Due to the increase in Autism diagnoses, there is also an increased need for better research and understanding about this complex neurological and developmental disorder. Autism has been documented and diagnosed in all social, economic, religious, and ethnic groups. Autism is referred to as a spectrum because of its wide range of severity levels and disorders. Autism is characterized by its impact on communication, cognitive ability, socialization, behaviors, and emotional understanding. Autism was initially speculated to be an early form of schizophrenia, which sparked the belief that it was caused by negative experiences or bad parenting. With
Through much study, scientists have found that in certain genetic conditions, gender does play a role. Evan Eichler is a geneticist at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Small studies had hinted that girls could endure far more harmful autism-linked mutations than boys before developing the disease. So he and colleagues decided to probe whether this association held up in a bigger group of people diagnosed with autism or with other disorders that trace to changes in how the brain develops. To do this, the team tapped into two large collections of genetic data. One came from more than 15,000 people with intellectual disabilities. A second came from 762 families, each with an autistic child. Eichler’s team suspects that parents of the kids in the two groups it studied had such mutations and then passed them along to their children. On average, females in both of the studied groups had more harmful mutations than did the males. This was true for large chunks of missing or repeated DNA as well as for small, single letter mutations. “No matter what class of mutation we looked at, females had more,” Eichler says. Consider