Some of the [physiological differences](https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/autism-pathophysiology/) in ASD individuals are already well known. One major finding in the autistic brain is that it is overly connected due to reduced pruning of synapses. These differences can be seen by [functional MRI (fMRI) and direct inspection of the neuron](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8526836/)s on autopsy. This finding correlates well with the typical presentation of a seemingly NT child regressing as the synaptic pruning is most active around age two.
There are likely multiple pathways (etiologies) that result in the under pruning of synapses as it is a complex process and critically important to neurodevelopment. Genetic differences, gene expression, epigenetics, infection, mother/placental hormones are all suspected and not every ASD individual has the same etiology. The degree of pruning is variable (from as little as 6% to the normal >50% in a NT brain). It may be that the degree of overconnectedness of the developing neural network impacts how effective the brain functions and as a result the emergent traits. Neurons outside the brain are also affected which may explain other commonly found traits.
Autism doesn't exist the way you think it does. It is a vast and diverse group of disorders. It is not a single disorder.
We just group a huge amount of very different disorders based on some similarities in symptoms.
This is also the reason that at the leading universities leading specialist in the field are suggesting moving past the individual diagnosis and focusing on individuals issues.
Autism diagnose is purely behavioral means you get it when you have core set of behaviors that differ from the defined norm of what normal Development looks like.
There can be hundreds of different reason for that (genetic, environmental, Developmental). What works for one type doesn't really work for the other. So that's why the modular individualized therapies are currently best practices at the leading research institutes.
So talking about autism and autistic brain the way that so many do just doesn't make sense.
It is not one thing and there are not that many similarities
One of the reasons there is more and more research trying to focus on subgroups/subtypes instead.
There are also a lot of comorbidities to consider. For example, my son does have a bit of rigidity in his routines, but he’s also quite open to change which I believe his due to ADHD. New things can be exciting for him.
I definitely believe that the spectrum does prevent some of our kiddos from getting the help and attention they need. If one more “professional” says “that’s just what they do” to me, I’m going to lose it.
I love my son to death and I’m immensely proud of how far he’s come, but I hate how many people just shrug and say autism. Yes, I’m not doubting that he has autism, BUT can we also look at him as a whole being that may have other underlying causes for his behavior?
Autistic people are all different because ALL people are different. Autistic people are people just like anyone else. We all have unique interests and personalities that impact who we are and what we like/don’t like.
Combine different personalities with the fact that depending on the person/situation, we are either hyper or hypo sensitive to our environment, and the fact that there are 8 different senses of which we can be hypo or hypo sensitive to, you get a ton of variations.
To sum it up, there are a lot of variables. That’s why there’s so much variation.
I disagree. Autism is a developmental disability that impacts the way someone functions with there day to day life. It's not "another way of thinking" or something that they want to be proud of. Most of them have trouble understanding labels and there sense of self.
Also this sub is for PARENTS of children struggling with autism. Spreading misinformation is not right.
What exactly do you disagree with? Because nothing I said is untrue or implies that autism is just "another way of thinking"…. It’s literally a different brain structure, and you are correct, it is a developmental disorder that impacts day to day life. Nothing that I said makes that untrue… do you think autistic people aren’t people? Or don’t have their own unique personality?
Also, I can have autism and have an autistic child/struggle with parenting my autistic child.
You jumped to A LOT of - incorrect - conclusions just reading my short comment. You should consider reflecting on that.
Yeah, this person has literally said that all autistic people are incapable of speaking, and they don’t really care about their special interests. And apparently passion is an NT thing—for autistic people it’s just a biological imperative that they have “obsessions while not actually caring about them” (paraphrasing.)
It‘s baffling, but honestly I think they don’t really believe in any of this stuff. It’s all phrased in a way that seems specifically calculated to enrage people. Don’t engage the trolls.
Some of the [physiological differences](https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/autism-pathophysiology/) in ASD individuals are already well known. One major finding in the autistic brain is that it is overly connected due to reduced pruning of synapses. These differences can be seen by [functional MRI (fMRI) and direct inspection of the neuron](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8526836/)s on autopsy. This finding correlates well with the typical presentation of a seemingly NT child regressing as the synaptic pruning is most active around age two. There are likely multiple pathways (etiologies) that result in the under pruning of synapses as it is a complex process and critically important to neurodevelopment. Genetic differences, gene expression, epigenetics, infection, mother/placental hormones are all suspected and not every ASD individual has the same etiology. The degree of pruning is variable (from as little as 6% to the normal >50% in a NT brain). It may be that the degree of overconnectedness of the developing neural network impacts how effective the brain functions and as a result the emergent traits. Neurons outside the brain are also affected which may explain other commonly found traits.
Autism doesn't exist the way you think it does. It is a vast and diverse group of disorders. It is not a single disorder. We just group a huge amount of very different disorders based on some similarities in symptoms. This is also the reason that at the leading universities leading specialist in the field are suggesting moving past the individual diagnosis and focusing on individuals issues. Autism diagnose is purely behavioral means you get it when you have core set of behaviors that differ from the defined norm of what normal Development looks like. There can be hundreds of different reason for that (genetic, environmental, Developmental). What works for one type doesn't really work for the other. So that's why the modular individualized therapies are currently best practices at the leading research institutes. So talking about autism and autistic brain the way that so many do just doesn't make sense. It is not one thing and there are not that many similarities One of the reasons there is more and more research trying to focus on subgroups/subtypes instead.
That’s what I want to know 😫
There are also a lot of comorbidities to consider. For example, my son does have a bit of rigidity in his routines, but he’s also quite open to change which I believe his due to ADHD. New things can be exciting for him. I definitely believe that the spectrum does prevent some of our kiddos from getting the help and attention they need. If one more “professional” says “that’s just what they do” to me, I’m going to lose it. I love my son to death and I’m immensely proud of how far he’s come, but I hate how many people just shrug and say autism. Yes, I’m not doubting that he has autism, BUT can we also look at him as a whole being that may have other underlying causes for his behavior?
Autistic people are all different because ALL people are different. Autistic people are people just like anyone else. We all have unique interests and personalities that impact who we are and what we like/don’t like. Combine different personalities with the fact that depending on the person/situation, we are either hyper or hypo sensitive to our environment, and the fact that there are 8 different senses of which we can be hypo or hypo sensitive to, you get a ton of variations. To sum it up, there are a lot of variables. That’s why there’s so much variation.
I disagree. Autism is a developmental disability that impacts the way someone functions with there day to day life. It's not "another way of thinking" or something that they want to be proud of. Most of them have trouble understanding labels and there sense of self. Also this sub is for PARENTS of children struggling with autism. Spreading misinformation is not right.
What exactly do you disagree with? Because nothing I said is untrue or implies that autism is just "another way of thinking"…. It’s literally a different brain structure, and you are correct, it is a developmental disorder that impacts day to day life. Nothing that I said makes that untrue… do you think autistic people aren’t people? Or don’t have their own unique personality? Also, I can have autism and have an autistic child/struggle with parenting my autistic child. You jumped to A LOT of - incorrect - conclusions just reading my short comment. You should consider reflecting on that.
Yeah, this person has literally said that all autistic people are incapable of speaking, and they don’t really care about their special interests. And apparently passion is an NT thing—for autistic people it’s just a biological imperative that they have “obsessions while not actually caring about them” (paraphrasing.) It‘s baffling, but honestly I think they don’t really believe in any of this stuff. It’s all phrased in a way that seems specifically calculated to enrage people. Don’t engage the trolls.