What Causes Autism?

[BlueRon7]

Some people make me want to be autistic.

Hating people and not interacting with them sounds like heaven to me !

 

[talkativesprout]

Hating people and not interacting with them sounds like heaven to me !

My son is diagnosed with a range of personality abnormalities as a youngish adult, and he is more than aware that it has good, great and fantastic benefits. He will point to the fact he can read and digest journals for 3 days straight......he is blissfully unaware of fucking strange he becomes after 3 days without sleep, even worse to avoid crashes he finds meds keep him going for even longer...oh how we laugh :)

 

[I'm With Stupid]

What I find ridiculous about this whole situation is that originally there was one (dodgy) study that a particular vaccine may cause autism. Obviously that was proven to be bullshit, and yet somehow we're now in a situation where the morons who still believe this bullshit have extended that to all vaccines causing every condition under the sun. And it basically comes down to one simple fact: it's far easier to shit out a book full of lies to sell to gullible parents than it is to do proper scientific research, and bullshit scare stories sell newspapers.

Incidentally, one possible cause I've heard cited is people having babies later in life.

 

[wattle]

Sooooo, I feel I'm quite qualified to comment on this as I have high functioning autism and teach kids with autism. The vaccine thing is UTTER BOLLOCKS!!!! Autism is a difference in how peoples brains are wired up compared with 'normal' people. It's much more likely to occur in males, although it can be present in females. Basically my problems are triggered by anxiety - yes I'm a joy to be around when City play lol - where I get massive hyper sensitivity. Light and sound can be multiplied by up to 6 times during severe cases and it's a nightmare. I usually just go and sit in a dark room for an hour or go sit on a hill and it calms down. I also have massive problems when things are unfair and get into many arguments with people if they are lying, cheating etc.- again great when watching the refs in City games. Oh yeh and I can't lie :-(
If I'm on a good day and the drugs are working you wouldn't be able to tell, but if I'm on a bad one you'd just think I was weird and arrogant.
It has it's benefits though as most autistics have special skills such as maths etc. Mines drawing/copying, and as well as teaching I earn a fortune designing individual tattoo's for people (tattoojedi if you wanna google me ;-))
I've a very understanding wife which helps. I left home about 13 years ago after the birth of my second child. I thought I hated the kids but the actual problem was the tone of the crying baby that set me off. After getting a test and being diagnosed my life changed and I'm on top of it now. Having autism at my level isn't an obstacle in having a fulfilling life at all. Thousands of people have it without knowing it. I've had problems but doesn't everyone? I've played professional football as a youngster briefly, played professional cricket and have 2 great jobs now as well. I think the autism helps with seeing perspective so I'm good at ball games. So more swings than roundabouts.
IT CAN'T BE CURED AND IT CAN'T BE CAUGHT. Anyone who says otherwise is talking utter uneducated tripe.
Hope you enjoyed my life story lol zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[SWP's back]

Sooooo, I feel I'm quite qualified to comment on this as I have high functioning autism and teach kids with autism. The vaccine thing is UTTER BOLLOCKS!!!! Autism is a difference in how peoples brains are wired up compared with 'normal' people. It's much more likely to occur in males, although it can be present in females. Basically my problems are triggered by anxiety - yes I'm a joy to be around when City play lol - where I get massive hyper sensitivity. Light and sound can be multiplied by up to 6 times during severe cases and it's a nightmare. I usually just go and sit in a dark room for an hour or go sit on a hill and it calms down. I also have massive problems when things are unfair and get into many arguments with people if they are lying, cheating etc.- again great when watching the refs in City games. Oh yeh and I can't lie :-(
If I'm on a good day and the drugs are working you wouldn't be able to tell, but if I'm on a bad one you'd just think I was weird and arrogant.
It has it's benefits though as most autistics have special skills such as maths etc. Mines drawing/copying, and as well as teaching I earn a fortune designing individual tattoo's for people (tattoojedi if you wanna google me ;-))
I've a very understanding wife which helps. I left home about 13 years ago after the birth of my second child. I thought I hated the kids but the actual problem was the tone of the crying baby that set me off. After getting a test and being diagnosed my life changed and I'm on top of it now. Having autism at my level isn't an obstacle in having a fulfilling life at all. Thousands of people have it without knowing it. I've had problems but doesn't everyone? I've played professional football as a youngster briefly, played professional cricket and have 2 great jobs now as well. I think the autism helps with seeing perspective so I'm good at ball games. So more swings than roundabouts.
IT CAN'T BE CURED AND IT CAN'T BE CAUGHT. Anyone who says otherwise is talking utter uneducated tripe.
Hope you enjoyed my life story lol zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Appreciate the insight bud.

 

[wattle]

Appreciate the insight bud.

It's a pleasure. You might have noticed I'm a bit fiery at times lol

 

[BimboBob]

It's a pleasure. You might have noticed I'm a bit fiery at times lol

Yeah, any reason?

 

[brass neck]

Wasn't there some controversy about levels of aluminium in the vaccine as opposed to the make up of the meds itself and it was reduced in the US or am I imagining that. Can't be arsed looking.

 

[brass neck]

Autism is fascinating. I've lived with someone with Aspergers and watched absolute horrendous things and some weirdly wonderful things. We are all indeed on the spectrum for sure. Be it stuttering, facinstion with order, personally I get fairly uncomfortable in busy public spaces like shopping centres. There's dartitis and the golfing version. On the other side of the rainbow is savantism some of which can't be explained and unroll we can explain it we will NEVER know what the human brain is capable of. Like Steven Wiltshire. Just amazing!

 

[Tricky Dickys Right Foot Shot]

I've heard people claim their autistic because they're socially awkward...... I don't think that's autistic at all, it's like when people say they have OCD because they don't like mess.... that's not OCD it's just called not being a tramp.

Seems we live in strange times where people want to have some sort of disposition.


As for the cause, I don't think we'll ever know the true cause, but someone will pin it on something, like smoking being the main cause of cancer, then they found out that the old beef and tomato pot noodles also caused cancer so changed the ingredients and made them shit.....bastards!

 

[I'm With Stupid]

It's much more likely to occur in males, although it can be present in females.

I've heard that this may actually be overstated, because in boys, it's more likely to result in behaviour seen as not normal (particularly disruptive behaviour in school), and therefore more likely to be diagnosed. Not sure though.

 

[TCIB]

You need to look at what has changed in tandem and on such a short time scale. Processed food and the associated chemical build up in the mothers body could have some subtle effects we have not noticed. I keep getting the feeling that lifestyle and diet must be a contributing factor.

Is autism common in country's where there is little processed food? these are the areas i would investigate.

You are what you eat!

 

[brass neck]

I've heard people claim their autistic because they're socially awkward...... I don't think that's autistic at all, it's like when people say they have OCD because they don't like mess.... that's not OCD it's just called not being a tramp.

Seems we live in strange times where people want to have some sort of disposition.


As for the cause, I don't think we'll ever know the true cause, but someone will pin it on something, like smoking being the main cause of cancer, then they found out that the old beef and tomato pot noodles also caused cancer so changed the ingredients and made them shit.....bastards!

OCD nothing to do with being house proud. I've known many people who keep a clean house. But they didn't have an issue leaving the house because they hadn't done 36 clockwise and 36 anti clockwise scrubs of the kitchen top. They don't have and issue going upstairs because they've touched a door handle and its made it full of germs. OCD is a debilitating condition and to class it as something insignificant is akin to telling the clinically depressed to "cheer up and shake yourself"

Some socially awkward people are on the autistic spectrum just like some outlandish or risk taking people or hard faced people are mild psychopaths. It's not to be brushed aside!

 

[grunge]

from what I can see the single biggest reason there is a rise in autism is down to the diagnosis criteria. what is classed as autism now wouldn't have been years ago ( asberges for example ).

 

[jma]

Let me state, before going any further, that the following is based on no expertise or in depth knowledge of the subject.

However, when someone asked earlier in the thread 'what has changed over the last couple of decades' I would state that it is probably worthwhile considering the factors that children are exposed to in their infancy.

Particularly, the amount of extremely young children who are consumed by screens - before they can hold a conversation in a lot of cases.

I don't think that this 'causes' autism, as it is obvious, if you have ever met anyone with a significant level of it, that it is very consuming and unlikely to be something that is 'caused' by one or two things in particular.

However, the question is what has led to a lot more diagnoses of it, including a lot of 'mild' cases.

It is a fact that there is a developing trend for the mental health of young people as a whole is deteriorating. Mental Health issues in young age groups are rising hugely. It is a very worrying trend. There is also, according to many, a significant rise in young people experiencing a lack of resilience and grit and struggle to deal with pitfalls in life. This may or may not be the same thing.

It is also true to say that a symptom of some autism is liking to be in your own world, wanting to be shut off and not liking change, interruptions or disruption. Something that is actually a very common description of children playing with screens.

Is it not worth considering whether the rise of diagnosis of 'mild' autism could actually be doctors mistaking the symptoms of a growing decline in childhood mental health and putting it all under the easy label of autism? Obviously, unmistakable, severe autism could not be mistaken in this way but I would imagine that the symptoms of 'mild autism' and the symptoms of the increasing amount of children with mental health issues could be quite similar.

 

[stonerblue]

Nobody knows but it is certainly not the mmr vaccine.

 

[Jazzcat]

Let me state, before going any further, that the following is based on no expertise or in depth knowledge of the subject.

However, when someone asked earlier in the thread 'what has changed over the last couple of decades' I would state that it is probably worthwhile considering the factors that children are exposed to in their infancy.

Particularly, the amount of extremely young children who are consumed by screens - before they can hold a conversation in a lot of cases.

I don't think that this 'causes' autism, as it is obvious, if you have ever met anyone with a significant level of it, that it is very consuming and unlikely to be something that is 'caused' by one or two things in particular.

However, the question is what has led to a lot more diagnoses of it, including a lot of 'mild' cases.

It is a fact that there is a developing trend for the mental health of young people as a whole is deteriorating. Mental Health issues in young age groups are rising hugely. It is a very worrying trend. There is also, according to many, a significant rise in young people experiencing a lack of resilience and grit and struggle to deal with pitfalls in life. This may or may not be the same thing.

It is also true to say that a symptom of some autism is liking to be in your own world, wanting to be shut off and not liking change, interruptions or disruption. Something that is actually a very common description of children playing with screens.

Is it not worth considering whether the rise of diagnosis of 'mild' autism could actually be doctors mistaking the symptoms of a growing decline in childhood mental health and putting it all under the easy label of autism? Obviously, unmistakable, severe autism could not be mistaken in this way but I would imagine that the symptoms of 'mild autism' and the symptoms of the increasing amount of children with mental health issues could be quite similar.

Screens emit light, which doesn't cause Autism.
Also the programs that are consuming these kid's attention often have a beneficial influence on their development, even when they're playing silly 'mindless' games.

 

[jma]

Screens emit light, which doesn't cause Autism.
Also the programs that are consuming these kid's attention often have a beneficial influence on their development, even when they're playing silly 'mindless' games.

That's a very catch all assertion.

Of course there are benefits to some games, etc. But there are also a section of children who are increasingly lacking social skills, resilience and the ability to handle certain social circumstances. More worryingly, there are a growing part of those that develop into serious mental health issues. All I'm asking is 'could the two be related'? (Obviously there would be other factors involved too). Or is it a coincidence that they have occurred at the same time as the option for children to be increasingly insular and living online?

 

[wattle]

I've heard that this may actually be overstated, because in boys, it's more likely to result in behaviour seen as not normal (particularly disruptive behaviour in school), and therefore more likely to be diagnosed. Not sure though.

Not true in my research - which as you can imagine I've done extensive :-) Boy's don't in general fully develop their frontal lobe part of the brain until their very late teens. Girls develop this part of the brain much earlier - with exceptions. This is the part of the brain that senses danger. So boys are more likely to be reckless and disruptive than girls between the ages of 10 and 19. This is a large cause of disruptive behaviours in school. Medical and statistical research show that boys are around 10 times likely to show autistic spectrum behaviours than girls. I can back this up by saying more than 70% of kids I teach on the spectrum are boys, although it seems a lot more extreme if girls have it as it's not the 'norm' and it's unusual in society that girls show traits such as being mute, lack of empathy, lack of eye contact etc unless they have suffered some form of abuse. Of course, you may find research that argues against this, but in my own personal experience and my work experiences support my theory. I'm sounding like a fucking psychiatrist now lol sorry

 

[wattle]

Let me state, before going any further, that the following is based on no expertise or in depth knowledge of the subject.

However, when someone asked earlier in the thread 'what has changed over the last couple of decades' I would state that it is probably worthwhile considering the factors that children are exposed to in their infancy.

Particularly, the amount of extremely young children who are consumed by screens - before they can hold a conversation in a lot of cases.

I don't think that this 'causes' autism, as it is obvious, if you have ever met anyone with a significant level of it, that it is very consuming and unlikely to be something that is 'caused' by one or two things in particular.

However, the question is what has led to a lot more diagnoses of it, including a lot of 'mild' cases.

It is a fact that there is a developing trend for the mental health of young people as a whole is deteriorating. Mental Health issues in young age groups are rising hugely. It is a very worrying trend. There is also, according to many, a significant rise in young people experiencing a lack of resilience and grit and struggle to deal with pitfalls in life. This may or may not be the same thing.

It is also true to say that a symptom of some autism is liking to be in your own world, wanting to be shut off and not liking change, interruptions or disruption. Something that is actually a very common description of children playing with screens.

Is it not worth considering whether the rise of diagnosis of 'mild' autism could actually be doctors mistaking the symptoms of a growing decline in childhood mental health and putting it all under the easy label of autism? Obviously, unmistakable, severe autism could not be mistaken in this way but I would imagine that the symptoms of 'mild autism' and the symptoms of the increasing amount of children with mental health issues could be quite similar.

It's a valid argument, but I mentioned in an earlier post, you can't catch or develop autism. You're either wired up that way or you are not. I'm constantly on a screen during the day which, as an autistic, I need to stimulate my brain and escape from the world when I'm having a bad day. I can assure you you cannot 'catch' autism by looking at too many screen during infancy, but a person can get in habits that mimic the signs of autism by being obsessed with screens.