The Environmental Causes Of Autism

Autism is one of the most common disorders among children in the United States. Autism affects 1 in 68 children (Center for Disease Control, 2014). By comparison, this is more children than are affected by diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Down syndrome – combined (Autism Speaks, 2012). Boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls. This disorder typically appears during the first three years of life.

Autism has become an increasingly important public health concern as the number of yearly diagnoses of the disorder has increased since the late 20th century. The National Institute of Health estimates that 1 in 88 children in the United States are classified as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (NINDS, 2009), a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs children 's ability to learn and causes issues with social interaction and communication. Symptoms of ASD include delays in speech and language, issues with social interaction, and unusual behaviors/routines.

Autism also affects the immune, nervous, genetic and enzyme systems, which shows a correlation between mercury and an autism spectrum disorder. The proportion of mercury has nearly doubled within the past few decades while the number of autism cases has also skyrocketed at an alarming rate (Bose-O’Reilly). In 2014, the Center for Disease and Prevention, also known as the CDC, reported that approximately one in 68 children is living with an autism spectrum disorder in the United States. This new estimate is 30 percent higher than statistics previously and is expected to continue to increase over the years like it has previously, because in 2012 it was reported that one in 88 children have an ASD (Autism Science Foundation). In the 1980’s the occurrence of autism was reported as one in 10,000 people and in the early nineties, the presence was one in 2,500 and in the late nineties it was one in 1,000 (Autism Science Foundation). Some believe it is an issue to compare autism rates over the last few decades, because the diagnostic criteria for autism has changed with the revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual in order to reflect new research. But the revision of the DSM has little effect on the increase of autism diagnoses because according to the DSM-V the only change between the fourth edition and the fifth edition is the name change of the disorder from autism to autism spectrum disorder and the severity levels of the disorder (DSM-V Development). The revision of the DSM has no correlation to the recent increase of

While genes play a role in the development or triggering of autism, they do not occupy the entire picture. Many other factors, termed as “environmental factors”, also play a significant role in the early development of autism. What the term “environmental” includes may be debatable. What falls into the category of environmental factors must be identified in order to prevent misleading pretenses. Throughout the research of autism, the word “environmental” refers to any influence beyond

Secondary causes of autism include pre-natal care, environmental factors, chromosomal abnormalities and genetic disorders. Environmental factors most notably, are the role of vaccinations, specifically those with the preservative thimerosal (Caronna, Milunsky, & Tager-Flusberg, 2008). The most common genetic disorder associated with autism is fragile X syndrome. Scientists continue to investigate the etiology of ASD. Current research seems to support two etiologies of autism: Early Onset of Autism vs. Regressive Autism (Bristol-Power, 2006). There is optimism that specific causes and risk factors will be identified. The results of future investigations will facilitate enhanced screening, prevention, and therapy for "at risk" and autistic patients (CMN, 2010).

Diagnoses of autism have increased rapidly over the last ten years, and continue to do so, making affordable and effective treatment for the developmental disorder crucial. Statistics report that “about 1% of the world is on the Autism Spectrum; prevalence in the US is about 1/68 births, prevalence

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disorder that affects the brain. Many children are affected by Autism. It limits a child’s ability to connect, socialize and relate to others.  Autism is a growing disorder and every year more children are born with autism. There is no cure for autism; there are no known facts about what causes autism in children at an early age, just possible causes. ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups (CDC, 2016, p.1).

With the rate of autism being diagnosed on the rise, the amount of research and interest in the disorder has risen as well. Some research suggests that over the past two decades the occurrence of autism has increased from approximately 2-5 per 10,000 births to about 1-5 per 1,000 births (Acosta & Pearl, 2004; Fatemi et al., 2012). Still others report that the occurrence is as high as 1 in 150 kids (Amaral, Schumann, & Nordhal, 2008). Even though the spectrum of autistic disorders has been studied since 1943, there have still not been any consistent nor persuasive causes or markers, either biological or clinical, identified with autism and its range of disorders (Santangelo & Tsatsanis, 2005). In fact, even with all of the advancements in genetic research technology and the increasing interest in autism, researchers can still only account for approximately 5-15% of autistic cases (Rogers et al., 2013).

Statistics show that autism affects between two and ten people per every 10,000 inhabitants, with higher occurrence in men than in women. Its cause often unknown, although some experts attribute the development of the disorder to a combination of genetics and certain environmental

Autism is a word that every modern parent is aware, and even afraid of. This word autism, however, has become common quite recently. It first appeared in 1943-1944 when Leo Kanner in Baltimore and Hans Asperger in Vienna, published articles describing a childhood disorder named “autism”. They actually borrowed this term from Kraepelin and Bleuler, who used it to “describe the escape from reality and withdrawal seen in schizophrenia” (Catherine and Frédérique 2431-2443). Now the term “autism spectrum disorder”(ASD) refers to a “condition of early childhood characterized by multiple impairments in socialization and communication, as well as unusual interests and repetitive behavior”(Lawrence and Karen 51-53). According to Dr.Jose Cordero, director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, autism has become an “urgent public health issue”(Caroline). It is a global phenomenon occurring in industrialized countries. Statistics shows a huge increase of autism in children: in 2000 every one in 150 children was autistic compared to one in 68 now(Alice). The most well known causes of autism are the use of vaccines, the increasing age of parents, and genetically modified foods. In addition, most researchers now believe that autism is caused by a complex interaction of genetic and environmental triggers and possibly the use of

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.

According to Shangraw (2012), there is no concrete etiology of autism because it is not diagnosed by its cause but on observed behaviors. The Autism-Society (n.d.) stated that a possibility for the cause of autism is the abnormalities in the brain structure or function. In an MRI research study by Piven et al. (1995), they found that an individual with autism spectrum disorder had a higher total brain volume and tissue compared to a person who is not on the autism spectrum disorder. Genetic problems and environmental factors can be a cause of autism spectrum disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic (2014). In genetic problems such as fragile X syndrome or Rett Syndrome, it can be associated with autism spectrum disorder. There is ongoing research regarding environmental factors and exploring ideas such as viral infections, pregnancy complications, and / or air pollutants to determine if they are active factors of autism spectrum disorder.

The number of children being diagnosed with autism is increasing. A 2014 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network found that in the United States 1 out of 68 children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). That represents a 30% increase in the incidence of autism spectrum disorder from 2012 when 1 out of 80 children were diagnosed with the disorder. Boys are five times more likely to affected by autism spectrum disorder than girls, 1 in 42 boys are affected by the disorder. Autism spectrum disorder is seen in all races and affects all socioeconomic levels.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is about 1 in every 68 American children who are on the autism spectrum. This is a ten-fold rise in prevalence for 40 years. This increase has been elaborated by the explained by improved and arising diagnosis and awareness of the condition. Further, a study reveals that 1 out of 42 boys is autistic in the United States whereas for the girls it’s 1 in 189. According to the National Center for Health Center for Health Statistics report, between the ages 3 to 17, children diagnosed with autism rose by about 80 % in the year 2014 more than it was previously as recorded in 2011 to 2013. A writer of the Washington post reported that the health officials were alarmed by the research that the prevalence rate is at 1 in every 45 children in

The number of kids being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has increased exponentially in the last 40 years. The increase of autism from 1 in 5000 in 1975 to 1 in 68 in 2012 can only be seen as an meteoric rise on an epidemic scale(cite). The source of this spike in diagnoses is fiercely debated among clinicians, scientists and the general public. The scientific community is split on whether the cause of the increase is a result of a new diagnostic system or new unfounded environmental influences. They believe more environmental stimuli like pollutants, vaccines, drugs and genetically modified foods play a larger role in the increase of autism spectrum disorder. Most researchers still attribute the rise to a better understanding of the