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Autism Spectrum Disorder Analysis

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Introduction Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) comprises of a group of conditions including autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (DSM-5, 2014). ASD are a type of neurodevelopmental conditions diagnosed on the basis of three core behavioural domains: 1) Persistent deficits in verbal and nonverbal communication; 2) Impairments in social interaction; 3) Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of activities, interests, and behaviours (DSM-5, 2014). The variation in the severity of behavioural traits between, and within these three disorders is extensive. It should be emphasised that due to this high phenotypic heterogeneity, and clinical variability, caution in the …show more content…

Earlier diagnosis of ASD may allow for more effective intervention strategies that maximise developmental progress and reduce further maldevelopment. Importantly, it should be emphasised that the scope of this essay is limited to an overview of the pertinent neurobiological aspects of ASD, however as ASD is extremely heterogeneous these encompass a diverse group of abnormalities. Epidemiology and Aetiology The prevalence of ASD in the population is high, with recent estimates reporting around 1 in 100 people are diagnosed with the condition (Simonoff, 2008). Alarmingly, this indicates a dramatic increase of diagnoses over the last few decades, with prevalence rates of ASD only around 1 in 1000 in 1970 (Newschaffer et al., 2007). However, rather than an increase in prevalence of ASD it has been suggested that changes in the awareness, concepts, and definitions of ASD in both the lay and professional public are a more probable explanation (Bauman and Kemper, 2009). In regards to variation in the prevalence based on race and ethnicity, little consistent information is available with multiple conflicting reports (Newschaffer et al., 2007). In contrast, studies on variation in ASD prevalence based on sex ratios have been consistent with a skewed average ratio of

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