According to CNN, Autism diagnosis rates have increased 30% in the last two years in the United States. More than ever, researchers have been attempting to find the causes and disrupted pathways that lead to the development of autism. There is a noticeable stigma surrounding autism. People have a difficult time understanding the disorder as well as handling those with it in an acceptable manner. What is causing the increase in diagnosis? What causes the disorder? There are many theories surrounding the increase in diagnosis of autism. One is the obvious theory, autism rates are actually increasing in children. I’m more on board with this theory. Other theories however are far more interesting and controversial. There are financial incentives for those diagnosed with learning disorders or autism because of government aid as well as insurance covered services. It is also believed that people push for physicians to diagnose their children with a learning disorder in order to explain them being “different”.
It is believed that many parents push for diagnoses of their children in an effort to receive financial aid or special treatment in learning environments for their child. What allows this theory to have any sort of strength is that autism is seen across a very broad spectrum. There are some extremely high functioning people who are diagnosed as autistic and you’d never know unless someone told you.
The idea that parents push for diagnoses to explain their kids being “different” is fueled by the fact that we as humans have a fundamental flaw. We don’t like being the ones to blame. If we can push the blame onto others or else push the blame onto a disorder then we will. If it explains why our child is not like everyone else’s then we can accept that fact.
The science behind autism shows that it is a neurological disorder resulting in a decrease in synaptic plasticity in areas of the brain such as the amygdala and the hippocampus. The amygdala controls fear, arousal, and other behavioral functions while the hippocampus controls learning and memory. Synaptic plasticity in autism is reduced due to malformed synapses. These synapses are held tightly together by scaffold proteins like nuerexin and neuroligin. A mutation in the mRNA that forms these proteins causes mutations rendering these proteins unable to properly perform their job. This causes synapses to no longer be held tightly together, reducing the activity of the synapse and thus its synaptic plasticity. The risk of mutation in these proteins is increased with the age of the parents at age on conception, primarily the father’s.
It has been found that paternal mutations in offspring occur at higher rates than those from the maternal side. De novo mutations (mutations that form throughout someone’s life and are passed down to their offspring causing genetic mutations, however, don’t cause a condition in the parent) increase in men at an exponential rate once they’ve reached 30 years old. It is estimated that the total number of mutations in a man will double in about 16.5 years, once they’ve reached 30 years old. These findings suggest age as a primary factor leading to the development of autism in offspring.
Though I have primarily covered age as a cause for increased rates of autism, this is not the only cause. Environmental factors such as stress during pregnancy, viral infections in the mother during pregnancy, and Zn2+ deficiencies have all been found to be a possible cause of autism.
I personally believe that age is one of the most easily avoidable causes of autism. The younger you are as a parent, the better chance you have of not conceiving a child with autism. As education beyond high school is growing, people are starting careers before they start families. People are having children at older ages and autism rates are reflecting this. However, I am not naïve enough to believe this is the only cause given what science has uncovered thus far.
Until next time,
Sebastian
Autism: Aging Parents Reflect Increasing Rates
