Autism 'affects all of the brain'

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4794085.stm


Autism 'affects all of the brain'
Brain - copyright Wellcome Trust
Autism affects the way brain communication, the study suggests
Autism does not simply affect how people relate to others but has a wide range of effects, a study suggests.

US researchers compared 56 children with autism with 56 who did not have the condition.

Those with autism were found to have more problems with complex tasks, such as tying their shoelaces, suggesting many areas of the brain were affected.

A UK autism expert said the Child Neuropsychology study showed how pervasive the condition was.


The social difficulties have received a great deal of research attention but this new study reminds us that the causes of autism have more pervasive effects
Professor Simon Baron Cohen, Autism Research Centre

People with autism are traditionally identified as having problems interacting with others and with both verbal and non-verbal communication.

They can also display repetitive behaviours and have very focused interests.

But this study suggests autism can affect sensory perception, movement and memory because it prevents different parts of the brain working together to achieve complex tasks.

Shoelaces 'difficult'

The children with autism all had the ability to speak, read and write.

All those studied by the team from the Collaborative Program of Excellence in Autism were aged eight to 15.

While children with autism performed as well as, and sometimes better than, the other children in basic tests, they all had trouble with complex tasks.

So in the visual and spatial skills tests, children with autism were very good at finding small objects in a busy picture, such as finding the character Waldo in the "Where's Waldo" picture books series.

But when they were asked to tell the difference between similar-looking people, they found it very difficult.

And while children with autism tended to be very good at spelling and grammar, they found it much harder to understand complex figures of speech, such as idioms - where the meaning of the phrase is not the same as the actual words suggest.

For example, they would not understand "He kicked the bucket" as meaning someone had died and were likely to actually hop if told to "hop it".

Children with autism also had problems with their handwriting.

'Faulty' wiring

Nancy Minshew, a specialist in psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who led the research, said: "These findings show that you cannot compartmentalise autism. It's much more complex.

She said researchers investigating autism needed to look for causes that affect multiple brain areas, rather than simply looking at areas related to communication and repetitive behaviours or obsessive interests.

Dr Minshew added: "Our paper strongly suggests that autism is not primarily a disorder of social interaction but a global disorder affecting how the brain processes the information it receives - especially when the information becomes complicated."

The team has previously found, through looking at brain scans, that people with autism have abnormalities in the neurological wiring through which brain areas communicate.

She said these abnormalities were the most likely explanation for why the children with autism in the current study had problems with complex tasks but did well in tasks that only required one region of the brain.

Professor Simon Baron Cohen, head of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, said: "This new study is important in highlighting atypical functioning in both social and non-social domains, by people with autism spectrum conditions.

"Previously the social difficulties have received a great deal of research attention.

"But this new study reminds us that the causes of autism have more pervasive effects."

Looks like another article, where they're attributing classic Autism to the entire spectrum.

When I was a kid, it took me a long time to learn how to tie my shoelaces. I remember wearing velcro shoes and cowboy boots all the way into third grade.

I know the BBC is awlful about doing things like that.

Finally... another mention of the 'underconnectivity theory'. (Brain areas not working together properly.) I always thought it made sense - it explains a lot in my case at least, but it's really hard to find any info on it.

It kind of makes sense actually; and I do agree that autism is a complicated disorder that affects almost the whole brain. I wonder if autism spreads to more parts of the brain when someone is younger somehow (kind of like epilepsy does when someone starts out with small seizures, and then gets bigger; except quite contrary compared to autism). Maybe it starts out in one part of the brain and then it spreads to different parts? I don't know; it's just fun guessing how autism is caused and the neurology of it and what-not; lots of people just have guesses about how autism is caused and what parts of the brain it affects anyways (although there are lots of facts).

...I would like to see what their definition of "properly" is. As far as I know, my brain has been functioning perfectly for me, and everyone else's brain works for them.


Otherwise, the study is interesting. And I'm glad to see some though put to how autism affects the brain as a whole.

... Duh?

I thought most of this was well known.

'Well known' means zilch in the scientific community. The concept has to tried and tested to death before anything new can come from it.

Quote: "Professor Simon Baron Cohen, head of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, said: "This new study is important in highlighting atypical functioning in both social and non-social domains, by people with autism spectrum conditions."

"Previously the social difficulties have received a great deal of research attention."

"But this new study reminds us that the causes of autism have more pervasive effects." End quote.

I'm amazed that it took them this long to realize that they were overemphasizing the importance of the social difficulties. The fact that aspies often have social difficulties shouldn't be the basis for a diagnositic label, it should be the basis for understanding the way NT society is prejudice against those who are different. In other words, I think such an overemphasis on social difficulties says more about NT prejudices than it does about the real lived lives of aspies.

Amen anandamide!

I'll second that.

People aren't nasty to blind people and other people with some sort of problem, but for some reason unless somebody is between being really mentality handi capped and normal it's open season on them.

The shoelaces mention is interesting. I wore shoes with a velcro fastening until I was about 11 because I couldn't tie my laces at all. Then I tied them backwards/upside down for many more years. It's only in the last few years (I'm now 32) I've managed to start tying them completely correctly without struggling.

I think there still seems to be some subconscious view among NTs that (unless, as you say, someone is severely and obviously mentally handicapped) that anyone with some kind of mental illness or disability just needs to 'pull themselves together' or 'isn't trying hard enough' - that it's in some way their own fault and they therefore deserve everything they get.

I see a flaw in their idea. The task of trying to pick faces. "were asked to tell the difference between similar-looking people, they found it very difficult"
Child Neuropsychology study. Maybe if you are not very aware of face features that would be hard. "very good at finding small objects in a busy picture" Child Neuropsychology study Well it could be that wado is a very simple outline of a face or basic template a image match and not as hard to find. Yes it is good that more is being learned. As/HFA being called a disorder, makes me have rage/annoyance that glows white hot for about 2 mins at a time and than it passes. "abnormalities in the neurological wiring" A very rude view how normal is normal ? silly gooses they try so hard, hopful in the long view they will understand how rude this sounds.And find ways and tools to help.