Today we are going to investigate on how exactly autism affected john’s brain and made him act and speak like this.

Autism and the brain

- At a certain point in post-natal development, autistic brains are larger.

- Testosterone may be linked to autism.

- Certain portions of the brain, such as the amygdala, may be enlarged in autistic brains.

- Certain parts of the brain may function differently in autistic people.

- "Minicolumns" in the brain may be formed differently and be more numerous in autistic brains.

- The entire brain may function differently in autistic people.

John said`I usually play with numbers when im agitated or angry or nervous or scared.It makes me feel calmer.I once doubled 2s to 33554432 which is 2^35,which was not very much because I got to 2^45 before,but my brain wasn’t working very well’.

All these point to autism as a disorder of the cortex. The cortex is the proverbial "gray matter": the part of the brain which is largely responsible for higher brain functions, including sensation, voluntary muscle movement, thought, reasoning, and memory.

The brain of autistic people develops too quickly beginning at about 12 months. By age ten, their brains are at a normal size, but "wired" atypically. "

Wiring has to be very complex and intricate. With autism there's accelerated growth at the wrong time, and that creates havoc. The consequences, in terms of disturbing early development, include problems within the cortex and from the cortex to other regions of the cortex in ways that compromise language and reasoning abilities."

Autistic people have more minicolumns which include a greater number of smaller brain cells. In addition, the "insulation" between these minicolumns is not as effective as it is among typically developing people. The result may be that autistic people think and perceive differently and have less of an ability to block sensory input.

Autism really impacts behavioral function in the brain very broadly. It affects sensory, motor, memory, and postural control -- anything that requires a high degree of integration of information. The symptoms are most prominent in social interaction and problem solving because they require highest degree of interaction.

Autistic people are socially/emotionally far more delayed than anyone ever thought,

While social and communication skills may be compromised by unique wiring in the brain, other abilities are actually enhanced.

Autistic people have a really stellar ability to use the visual parts of the right side of the brain to compensate for problems with language processing. This may be the basis for detail-oriented processing.

Autism affects about 1 in every 150 kids, but no one knows what causes it.

The leading theories for autism: Genetic, Vaccinations, Heavy Metal Toxicity, Chemical Exposure, Yeast/Candida, Gluten and Casein

Genetic

There was research done involving identical twins conducted at the MRC Child Psychiatry Unit at the Institute of Psychiatry in London.

It was found that if one identical twin had a autism then there was a 60% chance that the other would develop the condition. In contrast, for non-identical twins there was no increase at all in the chance of the second twin developing autism.

Suggests that autism have a definite genetic factor as being the identical twin of an autistic person markedly increases your chances of also having the disorder

However, it also suggest to us that autism may also involve significant environmental factors due to the fact that not every identical twin of an autistic child also develops the condition.

Research is now being conducted all over the world to determine specific genes that increase the likelihood of someone developing autism.

A group known as the International Molecular Genetic Study of Autism Consortium, which includes clinicians and researchers from the USA, UK, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, and Greece, has pinpointed four chromosomes which they believe play critical roles in autism.

The chromosomes they identified are numbers 2, 7, 16 and 17.

These findings are further demonstrated by research showing dyslexia patients also have abnormalities on these chromosomes.

Vaccinations

It has been proposed that the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) may be a causative factor in autism.

The researchers reviewed reports of children with bowel disorders and regressive developmental disorders, mostly autism, and suggested that the MMR vaccination may have been one possible environmental trigger that led to intestinal abnormalities, resulting in impaired intestinal function and developmental regression. However, this was based on a very small scale.

Research into gut ecology and its role in illness is increasingly showing the link between disturbed gut microflora and symptoms distant from the gastrointestinal tract. Examples of this are multiple studies providing evidence for the role of Klebsiella pneumoniae in ankylosing spondylitis and Proteus sp in rheumatoid arthritis.

Given this, it is entirely plausible that behavioral symptoms could precede overt bowel symptoms in autistic children even though the root cause is a bowel disturbance.

Given that the MMR vaccine subjects the immune system to three different antigens at once it is a possibility that the child's immune system, while dealing with these becomes more susceptible to pathogenic changes in the bacterial composition of the intestines or causes other detrimental immunological or neurological changes not yet identified.

Yeast/Candida

It was found that people suffering from autism consistently have elevated levels of certain organic acids in their urine.

It was found that a large percentage of autistic children have significant immune dysfunction and this may include a genetic weakness that impairs the body's ability to kill yeast as well as deficiencies of IgG and IgA. IgA antibodies are responsible for killing pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract. It is believed that most of the tartaric acid is produced by yeast in the GI tract as Nystatin, which is not absorbed into the body, has been successful in returning tartaric acid levels to normal.

The debate over the role of intestinal yeast overgrowth in chronic illness has been going on for decades due to the lack of a definitive marker that can be used reliably to detect the presence of increased growth of yeast in the intestines.

Recent research has strongly suggested that D-arabinitol may be a candidate for this definitive marker (9, 10). D-arabinitol is a 'sugar alcohol' produced by yeast when they feed on a sugar called arabinose.

Circumstantial evidence that also points in favour of a role for yeast in autism is the fact that the increase in these illnesses has paralleled the increase in the use of antibiotics which tend to wipe out beneficial bacteria in the gut allowing yeast such as Candida to proliferate.

Heavy Metal Toxicity

Another finding in autistic children is a higher level of heavy metals than normal. One source of mercury exposure in early life is through vaccinations. Thimerosal is a preservative used in many vaccinations to prevent contamination. Thimerosal is 49.6% mercury by weight.

A study in March 2006 showed that in the 4 years following the recommended removal of thimerosal from childrens vaccines, exposure of children to this toxin was reduced to almost zero, and most importantly, new cases of autism actually began to decrease.

Levels of mercury can be determined upon hair analysis. Using thimerosal containing vaccines would result in a hair concentration of greater than 1ppm (parts per million) of mercury for up to 365 days with various peaks during that period. 1ppm is the safe limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Research at the UCLA Medical Center in California has also shown that Thimerosal (when bound to human albumin protein) triggers an immune system reaction in autistic children, resulting in the production of antibodies. This indicates a possible autoimmune reaction as the immune system could react against any of the child's own tissues that happen to have Thimerosal bound to them.

Exposure to low levels of mercury during critical stages of development has been associated with neurological disorders in children, including ADD, learning difficulties, and speech delays, the predicted hair Hg (mercury) concentration resulting from childhood immunizations is cause for concern.

It was found that in mice at least, thimerosal can disrupt the immune system. The researchers in this study looked at dendritic cells which can be described as messengers within the immune system. These cells take up invaders such as bacteria, viruses and other antigens such as vaccine ingredients and process them. They then migrate to the lymph nodes to present their information to other immune cells, which can activate a systemic immune response. These dendritic cells are highly sensitive to thimerosal. With low concentrations of thimerosal, an inflammatory response occurs and with higher concentrations the cell is actually killed. These reactions could lead to any number of unwanted, and uncontrolled, effects within the immune system.

Autistic children often show signs of immunological dysfunction with allergies, gut disorders and frequent infections being common. The effects of thimerosal on the immune system, that this study demonstrates, provides one possible explanation of why this is the case.

Other possible sources of heavy metal exposure are contaminated food and water supplies. Fish is particularly associated with contamination as oceanic pollution becomes more concentrated as it moves up the food chain to predatory fish.

Chemical Exposure

Environmental exposure to mercury, pesticides and other contaminants during early childhood development could easily alter the normal function of a child's systems

The UC Davis Institute will conduct research using a large sample of 2000 autistic children and will look at possible chemicals and levels of these chemicals that the children were exposed to during early childhood to see if there is a correlation.

Researchers are working on the assumption that there is a genetic susceptibility to autism in a proportion of children but there may be an environmental factor that has to be present during their early years that "pushes their nervous system over the edge into autism".

The study will also assess blood levels of environmental toxins in autistic subjects compared to healthy subjects and will aim to find out the impact of exposures on the brain's ability to send signals and on cell growth in the nervous system, as well as identify the underlying biochemical process

Toxic contaminants are linked to increases in the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and associated neurodevelopment and behavioral problems in developed countries. Particular note is made of the high sensitivity of the unborn foetus to thyroid disturbance and the many chemicals in common use that could interfere with the thyroid function of mothers.

Gluten and Casein

Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, oats and barley. Casein is a milk protein found in the milk of all the animals whose milk humans in the western world regularly consume, cows milk, sheep's milk and goats milk.

Autistic people often have gut problems including frequent gut dysbiosis. As a result, digestion is impaired resulting in the incomplete digestion of gluten and casein. What is disturbing is that when not properly digested, gluten and casein can end up as peptides (protein building blocks) with a chemical structure that resembles that of the opiates (opium, morphine and heroin). There is a significant, and growing, amount of published research showing that gluteomorphin and casomorphin (the offending peptides) have been detected in the urine of autistic children . These peptides can pass easily through the blood-brain barrier and interfere with the functioning of neurotransmitters such as Sheraton and dopamine, just as the opiate drugs do. As a result the patient suffers a range of neurological and psychological symptoms.

Investigators at the UCLA Medical Center in California have also shown that both gluten and casein peptides trigger an immune response in children with autism, resulting in the production of antibodies to these substances (17).

As a result of these findings, the gluten and casein free diet (GFCF) has been developed. By avoiding both gluten and casein, both children and adults with autism can be helped a lot.

Junhao

Autism appears to result from developmental factors that affect many or all functional brain systems. Neuroanatomical studies and the associations with teratogens (agents responsible for malfunctions) strongly suggest that autism's mechanism includes alteration of brain development soon after conception. Brain weight and volume and head circumference tend to be greater in autistic children. The cellular and molecular bases of pathological early overgrowth are not known, nor is it known whether the overgrown neural systems cause autism's characteristic signs.

Current hypotheses include: -An excess of neurons that causes local overconnectivity in key brain regions.

-Disturbed neuronal migration during early gestation. -Unbalanced excitatory-inhibitory networks. -Abnormal formation of synaspes and dendritic spines.
Interactions between the immune system and the nervous system begin early -during embryogenesis, and successful neurodevelopment depends on a balanced immune response. Several symptoms consistent with a poorly regulated immune response have been reported in autistic children. It is possible that aberrant immune activity during critical periods of neurodevelopment is part of the mechanism of some forms of autism. Several neurotransmitter abnormalities have been detected in autism, notably increased blood levels of serotonin (serotonin is believed to play an important role as a neurotransmitter, in the inhibition of anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep, vomiting, sexuality and appetite), but whether these lead to structural or behavioral abnormalities is unclear. Also, some inborn errors of metabolism are associated with autism but probably account for less than 5% of cases.
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Here is what John said today:
Today i asked mother why I am special and others are not. She told me that this is because I have a very special brain that only a few others have. I know this. The brain is the control centre for all the activities of the body, dealing with intelligence, memory, learning, sight and visual reflexes. I am able to recite all the countries in the world and their capitals as well as every prime number up to 7057. Clearly, this shows that I am intelligent.
However, there are somethings I do not like that others cannot understand. Is this also because I am special? I asked Mother this, but she could not reply.
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Truly, autistic people are different from us, but this does not give us a reason to hate them or alienate them. They are still human beings, albeit slightly different.

Si Chun

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Here is what he wrote to introduce himself:

"My name is John. I am 12 years of age. I live in a world called Earth, which is the third planet from the Sun, which is 146 million kilometres from the sun. Talking to strangers is something i don't usually do. I do not like talking to strangers because of Stranger Danger which they tell us about at school, which is where a strange man offers you sweets or a ride in his car because he wants to do sex with you.

People keep telling me i am different, my mother tells me i am special. I don't really notice the other kids at school. I have a brother who goes to a different school. I go to a special school for special people like me.

I do the same things everyday. I like it this way because I like to know when everything is going to happen. i wake up everyday and clean my teeth and wash my face and I will run 3 times around the flowerpot and twice around the television screen every morning at 7.22 every morning before putting my school clothes on and packing my bag and catch the bus to school."
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As our first report, we will describe the signs and symptoms of autistic people such as John.

Autism causes kids to experience the world differently from the way most other kids do. Kids with autism have difficulty talking to others and expressing themselves through the use of words. Kids who have autism usually keep to themselves and many of them are unable to communicate without special help. Symptoms of autism may increase in severity when the child enters adolescence and often decrease in severity during adulthood.

- Difficulty in making connections

They also may react to what's going on around them in unusual ways. Kids with autism often cannot make connections that other kids make easily. For example, when someone smiles, most people are able to link the smile to the person being happy or friendly. However, a kid with autism may have trouble connecting that smile with the person's happy feelings.

An autistic kid also has trouble linking words to their meanings. Imagine trying to understand what your mom is saying if you didn't know what her words really mean. It is doubly frustrating then if a kid cannot come up with the right words to express his or her own thoughts and feelings.

- Barrier – difficulty making sense of the world

If someone has autism, his or her brain has trouble with an important job: making sense of the world. Every day, your brain interprets the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations that you experience. If your brain couldn't help you understand these things, you would have trouble functioning, talking, going to school, and doing other everyday stuff. Kids can be mildly affected by autism, so that they only have a little trouble in life, or they can be very affected, so that they need a lot of help.

- Problems in 3 crucial areas of development – social skills, language, behaviour

If a child has autism, he or she may develop normally for the first few months or years of life, and gradually become less responsive to his or her surroundings and other people, even including the child’s parents. In general, children with autism have problems in three crucial areas of development

- Social skills, language and behavior

Social skills – Children who are autistic appear unaware of the world around them. Autistic children tend to have poor eye contact, and are usually unresponsive to normal teaching methods verbal clues. Thus, they may fail to respond when his or her name is called, and may appear to be deaf despite having normal hearing. He or she may also resist cuddling and holding, and generally appears to be unaware of others’ feelings, making them seem rather insensitive. Autistic children, as they have trouble understanding the world around them, may seem to prefer playing and doing things alone, thus retreating into a world of their own, which make them seem like they are indifferent to their surroundings.

Language – Autistic children tend to start talking much later than normal children, and may even lose previously acquired ability to say words or sentences. Thus, they may not be able to start and/or continue a conversation. They also tend not to make eye contact when they ask for something, and may speak with abnormal tones; they may use a singing voice or a robotic voice. They can also repeat verbs or phrases, yet not know how to use them (echolalia). Due to their impaired language development, they often have difficulty expressing needs (thus using gestures instead of words) and may laugh, cry or show distress for unknown reasons.

Behaviour - Autism causes kids to act in unusual ways. They might flap their hands, say certain words over and over and have temper tantrums. They may play only with one particular toy, or display a lack of interest in toys. Most kids with autism dislike changes in routines. They like to stay on a schedule that is always the same, thus developing specific routines, and dislike having changes in schedules. They also may insist that their toys or other objects be arranged a certain way and get upset if these items are moved or disturbed. Autistic people often display abnormal reactions to sensory stimuli (senses may be over- or underactive), so they may be unusually bothered by and are extra-sensitive to light, sound and touch, so much so that they may feel uncomfortable.

John said this today:

‘My teacher once asked me why 4 red cars in a row made it a Good Day, and 3 red cars in a row made it a Quite Good Day, and 5 red cars in a row made it a Super Good Day, and 4 yellow cars in a row made it a Black Day, which is a day when I don’t speak to anyone and sit on my own reading books and don’t eat my lunch. He said that I was clearly a very logical person, so he was surprised that I should think like this because it wasn’t very logical.’

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This clearly shows that what seems logical to an autistic person may not be logical to a normal person. Autistic people ‘like things to be in a nice order’, just like John, which was why he ‘had Good Days and Black Days’, based on the number and colours of the cars he saw each day, which clearly didn’t make any sense to ordinary people.

This concludes our research on the signs and symptoms of autism.

Jia Ying