Mom and Dad: Our Role in Autism

Mom and Dad: Our Role in Autism
Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterized by impairment in communication and social behavior. But there is no single exact idea for what exactly autism is; it exists as a spectrum from nearly unnoticeable to extremely severe. Because of this, physicians often have a difficult time diagnosing patients as autistic. Also, because autism is a developmental disease, it is first recognized in children when they are most often quite young. As autistic children mature and develop, a range of symptoms can appear such as problems with facial expressions, lack of empathy, repetitive use of language, and preoccupation with certain topics to name a few. For a more comprehensive list of possible symptoms, you can visit the following link: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/autism-symptoms.
But what lies at the heart of this disorder? What brings about its cause, and is there a way it can be treated? If we think about the situation, because the disease has its onset so early in the child’s life, I think of a few possible culprits: 1. Genetics, 2. Developmental Issues (either by random chance or by maternal influence in utero), and 3. Early environmental influences after birth. Autism is quite common, and many people have somewhat of an idea about what this disorder is. But there are many new and interesting factors of which most people are unaware!
For this brief article, I want to focus in on the role that “Mom and Dad” might have. I hope to touch collectively on some interesting ideas that you may not have thought of before that may play a role in the onset of autism. However, I will not claim that any of these specific things will certainly cause autism; as a whole, even researchers still are not sure exactly what the overall cause is. Ultimately, it appears that there are many factors in play that there is not necessarily ONE specific cause. Rather, the cause of autism should perhaps be considered a convoluted interweaving web of factors─ the sum of which collectively forms the disorder we have come to describe as autism. But I digress; let’s explore what scientists have learned thus far.
Talking about Dad is short. In development, we know that his role is important, but after conception, there is not much he can do for the development of the baby other than offer his tender love and care, making sure that the mother is comfortable and healthy. Nevertheless, his sperm must contribute half of the genetics to the child. Because men produce sperm continually, there is a small chance for random mutations in the genes to occur in each sperm. As the man ages, these random mutations can accumulate, and the risk for one of them to contribute to autism is therefore increased. On the other hand, females carry all of their eggs and do not produce new ones, so the risk of accumulating mutations is not a factor unless the mutations had been present from birth. So in the case of the mother, the factors that contribute to autism must come from elsewhere.
The mother has an incredibly important role in the development of the child. It is honestly a miracle that her body is able to coordinate the growth of another human being inside of her. With all of the parts and pieces that must be perfectly aligned, it is amazing that it all happens correctly!
During development, a variety of factors such as poor nutrition, bacterial/viral infections, and high stress can all contribute to the risk of autism. How you might ask? Again, we do not know exactly, but I will tell you what we do know so far. In nutrition, zinc is especially important. A zinc-deficiency can lead to neuropsychological symptoms such as learning and memory impairment. In addition, it can also lead to impairment of the immune system. When the immune system of the mother is impaired, the fetus is more at risk for damage from bacterial/viral infections while still in the uterus. In this critical time of development, any problems from outside factors can be detrimental to the baby. Finally high stress placed on the mother can dislodge the equilibrium of the child and may lead to impairment of the child’s immune system. Then, when born, the child can be at higher risk for bacterial/viral infection that can further hinder the child’s brain development.
Overall, it is impossible to place blame on either parent, or on any single factor for being “THE CAUSE OF AUTISM.” We really do not know enough about autism to be sure, and much more research must be done as we move toward a better understanding of the disorder. In the future, I hope that we will come to know an exact cause of autism and how it can be treated. However, in the meantime, it is important to be aware of some of these risk factors as we proceed in attempt to give ourselves the best chances for reducing the prevalence of autism for the future.
 
Final thoughts on autism written by Steven Dotzler