Autism - Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by impaired social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviour. Autism (or Autistic Spectrum Disorder ASD) is a wide-spectrum disorder; this means that no two people with autism will have exactly the same symptoms, some people will have mild symptoms while others will have severe symptoms.
Clear identification of the causes of this specific disability
Primary ASD (idiopathic ASD) – No underlying factors identified
Secondary ASD – underlying medical condition or environmental factors increase the risk
Of ASD
90% of ASD are primary
10% are secondary
Define the cause/s of the specific disability (list causes)
1. Genetic Factors
2.
…show more content…
Autism is an inheritable condition, genes inherited from one or both parents play a fundamental role in the development of the autistic brain.
Twin studies: if one twin has autism, the chances of the co-twin also having an ASC much higher (60-90 per cent) in identical (monozygotic twins) than non-identical (dizygotic twins), where the chance of them both having it ( the concordance rate) is only about 5-10 per cent.
Autism runs in families: if there is one child in the family with autism or Asperger syndrome, the chances of another sibling also having an autism spectrum condition is about 5-10 per cent.
Page 92 Autism and Asperger syndrome
There is a known association between autism and fragile X syndrome, which is an X-linked genetic condition that more frequently affects males but may also have an effect on females. Autism is also sometimes seen in association with tuberous sclerosis, a dominantly inherited condition that may lead to seizures, mental retardation, and unusual skin findings. There have been many case reports of individuals with autism who have a chromosome abnormality, for the most part often involving chromosome