What Do You Think Causes Autism?

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There has been an increase in the number of posts linking conditions or events to Autism. Many of these alleged "causes" have a low correlation, meaning that there is a higher correlation between these alleged "causes" and NOT having Autism. Regardless of this fact, people will tend to believe in their favorite "cause" and stand by their beliefs in spite of the lack of hard evidence.

So, I've compiled what seems to be the most popular alleged "causes" for Autism (and other ASDs). Currently, polls are limited to 20 options or less, so I can not offer all of the options here, but these do seem to be the most popular.

As usual, the "Planet X" option is provided for those who just want to see the results.

Thank you,

-Fnord-

A very thorough list. I had forgotten about some of the above referenced concepts.

Fnord
What did you pick?
I chose wiring, but possibly the wiring variance is due to genetics?

My psychologist told me, that practically all Aspergers have suffered disturbances through life in the womb or during birth, and that a great deal of them have problems with knees and feet. It is true in my case, but I haven´t found any scientific documentation yet.
I chose "prenatal conditions" in the poll, but with my family in mind, I seriously believe more in genetics.

Last edited by Jensen on 16 Jul 2013, 2:53 pm, edited 5 times in total.

I won't display my choice until several other have made theirs, so as not to influence their choices with mine.

"Brain Wiring" may be influenced by more than just genetics. There's diet, exercise, being shaken or dropped as a baby, allergies ... these are just some of the real-world possibilities.

I purposely left out any alleged "causes" that were based on religious or superstitious beliefs (i.e. demons, devils, ghosts, sin, etc.), so as not to have this thread devolve into a flame war.

I voted 'Other' due to an overdose of X icecream when I was young.

For other people I would rank the options as:

2 combined with any of 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14 to create 16.

The rest range from unlikely to no.

When I was younger I was bullied in school, beaten so badly by my father that I went to school bleeding from the face, sexually threatened by a next door neighbor and otherwise treated like dirt. In essence, I was nothing more than that crawling slug people accidentally step on when they're walking down the street.

The abuse has led me to withdraw from the world. I shunned eye contact and didn't speak unless spoken to. I said the wrong things to people because I just didn't know how to carry on a meaningful conversation. I had no practice! Who'd practice with me?!

I came to the U.S. at 12 years old and my awkwardness came to the fore. Now, not only did I barely speak to people, I isolated out of fear of being bullied. I was bullied in the American schools and even by neighborhood toughs, so it just seemed I couldn't get away from it.

I've sometimes wondered if some of my autism traits were "beaten" into me or just a result of being autistic. I am extremely sensitive to loud sudden sounds and I do have a fascination with running water, but I don't know if autism explains that or are the soothing sounds fueled by my constant isolation from the world because of bullying.

The rocking back and forth I do could possibly be explained by autism, or it could be me having a permanent pacifying "recoil" from my history of abuse.

The intensity of my focus on my special interests (writing music, short stories and novellas) could either be explained by autism or the simple fact of being constantly friendless because of communication deficits.

I have read that Autism is often coincidental with birth trauma. I always considered it to be a genetic disposition that one may happen with the other, not that one caused the other.

As far as I'm aware, a babies brain has already largly formed it's various components by the time of birth. Granted that learning rewires the brain to match the learned behavour.

Funny you should mention problems with knees. I have a cleft kneecap on my left knee (it's in two pieces), and I had birth trauma. Curious that for me, both of these things coincided with Autism. My brother is a true NT through and through. My father is likely Aspgersis as I am. Difficult to say.

I think the evidence is strongest for genetic variance combined with epigenetic insult, but that combination can include many many variants, all of which can alter brain development causing autistic behavior and symptoms.

I put down Evolutionary Phase. It is what the genetic variance implies.

I do not believe that the genes that Aspies have makes them defective any shape or form. A species is that evolving or being a viable path of evolution must have a genetic variance where they have beneficial mutations that occur over the centuries. Not all human DNA is pure this has been proven by genetic testing to show that Neandthal DNA is present.

From what I can gather, based on existing research, a good deal of reading about the subject, posts on this website, and my own experience there is not one particular cause alone, but it's a complex neurological condition which has hereditary and environmental causes.

I would say that neither the hereditary nor environmental causes would create the symptoms of ASD on their own, but a complex interaction of these would create the symptoms classified as ASD.

In most instances it seems an individual who has ASD can usually find at least one close relative who either has been diagnosed, or shows very strong symptoms of ASD.
Likewise, those with ASD clearly have sensory sensitivity issues, which contribute to agitation, learning difficulties, and poor social function.

We are born with sensory sensitivity, which when exposed to the outside world along with other inherited characteristics manifests in behavioural difficulties and problem comprehending the outside world, as the patterns and reality we expect to find does not correlate with reality.
This in turn leads to differing neural development over time, which reinforces the differences we already have having an ASD brain.
Our brains grow and adapt due to exposure and use; only with understanding, support, and compassion can we thrive and be able to cope with the NT world we are born into, but not born with the tools to cope with.

That's why people on the spectrum that grow up in accepting, understanding and supportive families are able to thrive, and achieve their goals, whilst those on the spectrum who are forced to behave like NT's and are not accepted for being the unique and special individuals they are carry the emotional and intellectual scars with them into adulthood and beyond.

That's my take on it, and I'm really particularly talking about Aspies who like myself are able to cope to a degree, but may lack executive function, have difficulty with relationships, and may have difficulty getting diagnosis, due to their so called "mild" symptoms.
Hiding your Aspieness like a dirty secret does not mean you are mild, it just means you've learned a coping mechanism that is flawed and will prevent you from getting help as you are not obvious, and not able to process or accept the difficulties you have until they stop you from living your life and achieving your goals.

Obviously severe cases of ASD where the individual is non vocal, unable to gain basic self care skills or the like is a much more magnified case of oversensitivity, where even a light being turned on or off may overwhelm, and I believe in this case mere everyday exposure to normal everyday stimulation is too much for them to bear, but that's a whole other story.

No, "Genetic Variance" implies only a variation in the genetic code - not a complete overhaul.

For instance, there is a genetic variance between aboriginal Australians and the red-haired Irish - they are still of the same species, but they just look different. Trees and humans are completely different species, not just variations on the same genetic code.

I voted "Other" because think that there are multiple causes, many of which could be inter-related (although I think that genetics/epigenetics is probably always part of it).

I'd vote for "neurological variance", but I'm not 100% sure.
I'll explain why.

I have a brother with childhood disintegrative disorder who developed the condition at age 2. Before that age he could speak very well (my mother says that at the age of 1 he could alredy speak perfectly and that his development in early years was faster than that of other children), behaved typically and was also good at social interactions. Then he regressed.
My parents think that it is because of trauma, because even now, when he is left alone in the dark, he screams and cries. It is known that even the littlest thing can cause a child a trauma, and maybe he regressed because of that. But what would have happened without that trauma? Would he be an high functioning autistic now, would he be an NT, or would he still have LFA? No one knows. I just know that he can communicate very well with gestures and facial expressions, and he can understand non-verbal language very well. Unlike me. Also there are some other peculiarities that make him an "atypical" autistic in some ways.
My parents even say that he completely stopped talking after a vaccination, could it be a coincidence or not?

Totally different is my case.
My mother says that, since I was a very little child, I showed signs of "not being typical". Both my parents and I are sure that I have never experienced trauma, my parents say that I am born like this.
But, in your pool there was "pre-natal stress" as an option.
My mother was indeed very stressed when she was pregnant, she feared I could turn out like my brother. Maybe it was because of her stress and depression, or because I am really born like that? No one knows.

Again, different is my father's case.
He has had speech delay as a child (he started speaking at the age of 4), and showed early signs of AS/attention deficit disorder even when he was a very little child.
But, he had a meningitis when he was 6, that caused his motor skills delay (he started walking only when he was 6, after that illness) and his tics. If my father didn't get that meningitis, would he be like he is now, or would he be even higher-functioning, and wouldn't have tics? No one knows.

In any case, the results are the same, pretty much.

Also they have 1-4 % of Neandthal DNA in Human genetics depending upon race. Evolution is a series of mutations that were benign which trigger speciation. For complete variation to occur it will take million years where that interbreeding could not occur. Neanthals and Homo Sapians were not consider same species but able to interbreed like Horse and Donkey. There was enough genetic similarity where the European Caucasian race emerge as cause.

Genetic that leads to neurological difference. My dad is probably on the spectrum and his oldest brother could be as well but that uncle also is schizophrenic. They grew up before most of the food additives etc existed. The alien DNA choice made me chuckle lol