what do you think causes ASD??

[sleepyhorse]

Just wondered if anyone knows as I can't seem to find any website that pinpoints the causes. Is it unknown?

Becarooo - regarding Asthma. You need to look into the buteyko method. It totally cured my (mild) Ashtma.

PM me if you want more details.... (Or start a new thread :) )

ooh, will do!

You really are The fount of all knowledge Indigo

xx

Becarooo. Chiari is a malformation of the brain where the cerebellar tonsil is forced down the spinal canal, blocking the flow of cerebro-spinal fluid and putting pressure on the brainstem.

MJ ah, thank you! How is this dx? Is there any treatment for sufferers??

I read it and was not convinced leonie

Becarooo... it's usually spotted on an MRI when looking for something else!! Or was in my son's case, anyway. It's diagnosed through a series of neurological issues and if enough boxes are ticked they might suspect it. One of the major ones is headaches when coughing/laughing/sneezing/straining but the list of possible problems is massive. This is not the full list but contains the more common ones Co-ordination and balance was a massive one for my son and he was unable to write or draw.

Surgeons currently perform posterior Fossa Decompression surgery which permanently removes part of the back of the skull and the back of C1 hopefully to make enough space in the head for the cerebellum and the tonsil may then withdraw to where it should be, but whilst it can cure the malformation I don't know of any Chiarians that don't have problems subsequently and I know that some surgeons are now holding back on the surgery.

I think you can have a genetic predisposition, but maybe only passed from one parent. My brother has Aspergers, my other brother has mild ASD traits and DD is probably somewhere on the spectrum. Development of the brain in the womb has got to be a factor there somewhere too though. Interesting thread thank you :) x

Single jabs here for both kids: one autistic, one not. It's four times more likely in boys (though I also have an autistic step-daughter) and far more likely if there's a family history. Those are about the only two definites about autism imho.

Thats really interesting MJ thank you. Hope your ds is ok now??

mummy I agree with you wrt brain development in utero....my ds1 is currently undergoing assessment for a poss asd dx and he had undiagnosed IUGR and some other issues after birth that I feel are also partly responsible for his current problems.

leonie Nice try I am not getting sucked into that hornets nest!

You agree with study. I dont. Lets agree to disagree........

...should also mention I think my dh has asd traits.

Becarooo I think that is possibly where the scientists are going with the recent emergence of MRI scans for Autism. I think the brains of ASD people develop differently though, rather than an abnormality as such.

"which is not the same thing as a study, as it is a report done without a specific protocol and without the need for specific ethics committee approval..."

Exactly.

Show me the study with proper protocols in place.

I am not saying those children werent/arent sick, Leonie.

I am saying that I think the link between the MMR and their illnesses has not been proved

There has always been risk to any child from any vaccine. Its a tiny risk, but its there. (my FIL, who is 70 this year, had a very bad reaction to the diptheria jab when he was a baby and he was in hospital for a long time) There are risks to ANY medication.

I chose to vaccinate my dc as - for me - the risk of them getting very nasty, completely preventable illnesses (with the possible grave consequences attendant to those illnesses) was the lesser of the 2 evils.

mummy So the use of MRIs is new in the dx of autism???? How can that be? Surely its common sense to use a diagnostic tool like that???

Autism cannot yet be diagnosed by MRI, that is some way off.

I think it is fairly new to have MRI's done- it was only a small study when they carried out the initial research, but they would never use it without the combination of observing the child and making a judgement based on an MRI alone. They suggest there are "bilogical markers" for autism.
What i find interesting is the link between a large head circumference and Autism....my DD has a less than average head size, as does her Uncle, but this could just be a familial trait in our family i guess.

www.autism.org.uk/en-gb/news-and-events/news-archive/8-august/researchers-use-brain-scans-to-diagnose-autism.aspx

I realise it cant be dx by MRI but surely its a really useful diagnostic tool?

Thats really interesting re: the head circumference thing....do you have any more info on that?

www.autism.org.uk/en-gb/about-autism/research/brain-bank-for-autism-and-related-developmental-research/brain-research-and-autism.aspx

I think that research has shown that children with autism have larger brains, and that their brains grow quite fast through early childhood. My brother was a small child, and actually did have a large-ish head for a while but it looks average now. I wonder about DD as her head is smaller than average, actually went down the centile charts as she grew, but I have found that she is taller than most children her age.
According to the research, it its the brain structure itself that is different.

Actually i find this the most interesting:- "the connections between different areas of the brain may be different in people with an ASD." The doctor who dx'd my brother many years ago explained to my mum that it is becaused his brain is wired differently to an NT person. I have always had that image in my mind.

My ASD DS has a huge head circumference......

and mine, Indigo.

So far, no one else has mentioned anti- derpressent use in PG. Can I ask was anyone else on them?