Write An Essay On The Causes Of Autism

The topic of autism is something that has been very popular in the past few years in the news. Most people claim to know someone effected by the autism spectrum disorder because research has shown that the rates of autism spectrum disorders are rising steadily most likely due to better diagnosis and detection (The autism enigma, 2011; Eigsti & Shapiro, 2003). With so many more cases being diagnosed each year, there has been a considerable amount of research done on the topic due to partly society’s quest to learn about the disorder that is affecting so many individuals. Society’s desire to want to know about the disorder itself, how to best help those with the disorder, what caused the disorder, cures, and so much more has spurred on a lot of research in the field. Even with the rapid increase of technologies available to researchers, there still is much that is not known about the disorder. One main focus that had has considerable amounts of focus is the cause of the disorder. Most research seems to lead to the explanation that while many factors may be associated or correlated to individuals with autism, it is unlikely that there is one specific cause.

However, the American Psychiatric Association defined autism in 1994 as a neurodevelopmental disability that impairs the three main areas of social reciprocity and engagement, language and communicative skills, and finally having the presence of repetitive nonfunctional behaviors and stereotyped interests (Eigsti & Shapiro, 2003; McPartland & Pelphrey, 2012; Happé, Ronald, & Plomin, 2006). The three areas are sometimes referred to as the triad of autistic-like traits (Happé, Ronald, & Plomin, 2006). In order to be diagnosed with having an autism spectrum disorder, a child must be able to meet as few as two or three characteristics out of the twelve total (McPartland & Pelphrey,