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Autism used to be called "Childhood Schizophrenia"

"Trust hormone" now tied to "mind reading," and increasingly, autism

Trust hormone” now tied to “mind reading”—and increasingly, autism

An unusual hormone has a growing list of documented powers, some of them surprising—and intriguing to scientists hunting autism treatments.

Dec. 13, 2006
Special to World Science

Researchers in recent years have intensely studied a hormone thought to be relevant to au*ism, a disorder that has stirred growing
alarm.
And the longer the scrutiny of the hormone, oxytocin, goes on, the longer grows a list of sometimes surprising powers attributed
to it. These are prompting scientists to propose the chemical might help treat autism.

The "Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test" involves viewing 36 photos of eyes, and judging which emo*tion or mental state each pair represents. A version of the test can be taken here.
Last year, one group identified it as a hormone that helps us to trust.
Now, researchers say it may also aid us with “mind reading,” or the ability to gauge other people’s emo*tions based on subtle social cues.

Oxytocin has long been known to regulate social interactions, among other things. And autism, which involves marked social difficulties, has been linked to low oxytocin levels.

Thus, the authors of two recent studies suggest oxytocin might help treat autism. One team also re*ported that such a treatment improved autistic patients’ ability to detect emotion in speech.

Oxytocin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An Overview of Autism
What is Autism?

Autism is one of five disorders that fall under the umbrella of "Pervasive Development Disorders (PDD.)" The five disorders are Autism, Aspergers Disorder, Retts Syndrome, Child Disentegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Development Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). (Batshaw, 2002) Because Autism and other PDDs describe such a range of differences, "Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)" is the term increasingly used to describe individuals who characteristics of Autism. These individuals are sometimes said to be "on the spectrum." The three major areas of difference between typically developing individuals and people with Autism are communication, social interaction, and behavior (Batshaw, 2002). Not surprisingly, these three areas are heavily interlinked with each other in every day life. Some people with Autism are non-verbal, some are brilliant in mathematics or music, and some get PhDs. Each person is a unique individual with unique abilities and differences, just like any typically developing person. Autism affects some people very little, and some people quite a bit.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made by a specialist. There is no blood test to determine if an individual is Autistic, nor is there any imagining technique. Diagnosis is made solely on the basis of behavioral observations, which are compared to the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (IV Edition) or DSM-IV for short (Batshaw, 2002). To see a complete listing of the criteria, see http://www.autism-biomed.org/dsm-iv.htm.

For parents, the symptoms of Autism can be very confusing and cause great concern. Raising any child presents challenges, and a child with Autism is certainly no easier. According to the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR,) the following warning signs warrant evaluation by a specialist:

* Not babbled or cooed by one year
* Not gestured, pointed or waved by one year
* Not spoken a single word by 16 months
* Not spoken a two-word phrase by two years
* Experiences any loss of any language skills at any age

NAAR also stipulates that the following concerns warrant a conversation with a healthcare provider about an Autism evaluation:

* Does not respond to his or her name
* Cannot tell or describe what he or she wants
* Experience any language delays
* Does not follow directions at all
* Appear at times to have a hearing impairment
* Does not know how to play with toys
* Has poor eye contact
* Appears to be in his or her own world
* Does not smile socially
* Has odd movement patterns
* Has unusual attachment to toys or other objects
* Regularly lines up toys or other items

(http://www.naar.org, 2005)

Autism is often misdiagnosed as attention defecit disorder (ADD), attention defecit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), oppositional defiance disorder, cognitive disabilities (mental retardation), childhood schizophrenia, sensory impairments, communication disorders, and neurodegenerative disorders. It is important to rule out and differentiate between disorders with the aid of specialists. (Batshaw, 2002)

How Common is Autism?

NAAR reports that Autism is on the rise, in fact 10 times more common today than a mere 10 years ago. Today, the disorder is detectable in 1 in every 166 births. (naar.org, 2005) The reason for the increase is complicated and unknown. Early and comprehensive evaluation accounts partially for the higher incidence. (Kalb, 2005) New research shows strong genetic predisposition as well as a complementary environmental interaction playing a part in the rise (Batshaw, 2002, Kalb, 2005). Currently, children are usually diagnosed by 2-3 years of age (naar.org). Differences are often retrospectively detectable at birth, with parents often voicing concern by 12-18 months (Batshaw, 2002). Irrespective of high prevalence and the high impact of Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Autism research is pathetically under-funded (naar.org, 2005).

Who Discovered Autism?

In 1943, Leo Kanner wrote a paper describing Autism as a specific disorder. Kanner used the term "Autism," a term that was coined in 1911 by a Swiss Psychiatrist named Eugen Bleuler. Bleuler used the Greek root word "autos" with means "self" to describe an individual who seemed to attend only to some inner world. Kanner's description of Autism was used to create the defining criteria used today to diagnose Autism. (naar.org, 2005)

What is it like to have Autism?

Oftentimes, Autism is described in terms of how a person with Autism appears to other people. This viewpoint, although valuable for diagnosis, is limiting and promotes misunderstanding. The three areas of difference are outlined below in terms of how it feels to deal with Autism as a person who has Autism.

People with Autism have difficulty reading social cues, such as subtleties in language, gestures, facial expressions, intonation, eye contact, and body language. (Batshaw, 2002) People who are typically developing use this type of cueing tirelessly; forever sending and receiving messages that are frequently richer than the plain language that accompanies such cues.

Misreading or missing even a tiny intonation can change messages entirely. To understand such difficulty, one only has to remember how carefully crafted e-mail messages must be in order to send a message that would be simple to send using verbal speech in a face to face setting. Since people who don't have Autism are constantly gathering and sending social cues, it is difficult for people with Autism to engage in conversation, make friends, and perhaps most importantly, learn language.

If a person is unable to integrate visual stimulus (gestures, facial expression, body language) with auditory stimulus (speech, intonation), learning language becomes a difficult task indeed. Not only is language confusing and overwhelming, but it is unpredictable. On top of this, each person has their own style, speed, and accent.
Each person's face appears different. About 50% of children diagnosed with Autism will achieve verbal speech. (Batshaw, 2002) Some will use sign language, some will use gestures, some will use keyboards, and some will use PECS ( a way of exchanging pictures to relay ideas).
A few people with Autism will be unable to communicate.

"[The] characteristics described in the DSM-IV are just that: they are descriptions of coping behaviors and not descriptions, necessarily, of innate orientation." (Prince-Hughes, 2004) Because of difficulty associated with communicating and interacting with the confusing world of people, people with Autism develop behaviors that seem strange to typically developing people who don't understand. Many behaviors seem to have root in bringing order and predictability to the lives of people with Autism. This coping is understandable, since no person likes to live in chaos. Unfortunately, behavior that is not typical often leads to rejection, which gives people with Autism fewer opportunities to learn social reciprocity and language. This only leads to more coping behaviors, which leads to more isolation.

KSC Fitness Centers - An Overview of Autism