If you're concerned about your child's development or you suspect that your child may have autism spectrum disorder, discuss your concerns with your doctor.
The symptoms associated with the disorder can also be linked with other developmental disorders. Signs of autism spectrum disorder often appear early in development when there are obvious delays in language skills and social interactions.
Your doctor may recommend developmental tests to identify if your child has delays in cognitive, language and social skills, if your child:. Autism spectrum disorder has no single known cause. Given the complexity of the disorder, and the fact that symptoms and severity vary, there are probably many causes.
Both genetics and environment may play a role. One of the greatest controversies in autism spectrum disorder centers on whether a link exists between the disorder and childhood vaccines. Despite extensive research, no reliable study has shown a link between autism spectrum disorder and any vaccines.
In fact, the original study that ignited the debate years ago has been retracted due to poor design and questionable research methods. Avoiding childhood vaccinations can place your child and others in danger of catching and spreading serious diseases, including whooping cough pertussis , measles or mumps. The number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder is rising.
It's not clear whether this is due to better detection and reporting or a real increase in the number of cases, or both. Autism spectrum disorder affects children of all races and nationalities, but certain factors increase a child's risk. These may include:. There's no way to prevent autism spectrum disorder, but there are treatment options. Early diagnosis and intervention is most helpful and can improve behavior, skills and language development. However, intervention is helpful at any age.
Though children usually don't outgrow autism spectrum disorder symptoms, they may learn to function well. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication.
Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Autism spectrum disorder ASD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed April 4, Uno Y, et al.
Early exposure to the combined measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and thimerosal-containing vaccines and risk of autism spectrum disorder. Similarly, not everyone exposed to an environmental risk factor for autism will develop the disorder. In fact, most will not. Research tells us that autism tends to run in families. Changes in certain genes increase the risk that a child will develop autism.
If a parent carries one or more of these gene changes, they may get passed to a child even if the parent does not have autism. Again, the majority of these gene changes do not cause autism by themselves.
They simply increase risk for the disorder. Research also shows that certain environmental influences may further increase — or reduce — autism risk in people who are genetically predisposed to the disorder. Importantly, the increase or decrease in risk appears to be small for any one of these risk factors:. At the same time, scientists have conducted extensive research over the last two decades to determine whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism.
The results of this research is clear: Vaccines do not cause autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics has compiled a comprehensive list of this research. How do these genetic and nongenetic influences give rise to autism? Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism compared to in neurotypical children.
Researchers do not know the exact cause of autism but are investigating a number of theories, including the links among heredity, genetics and medical problems. In many families, there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities , further supporting the theory that the disorder has a genetic basis. While no one gene has been identified as causing autism, researchers are searching for irregular segments of genetic code that children with autism may have inherited.
Other researchers are investigating the possibility that under certain conditions, a cluster of unstable genes may interfere with brain development, resulting in autism.
0コメント