Autism & Epigenetics

FROM THEN TO NOW

 

"Autism" was first dicussed by Swiss Psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler in 1908, when he used the term to describe withdrawn schizophrenics. Originally, it was believed to be a psycological disorder and has only recently been labeled as a neurological disability. Due to this, it has traveled back and forth between a sole diagnosis and a diagnosis under the umbrella of Schizophrenia.

 

There have been several theories regarding the direct cause of Autism. In 1943 Leo Kanner, an American psychiatrist, came up with the very first thory. He called it the "Refrigerator Mother Theory." He believed that children became autistic due to lack of nurturing from their mother. This was, of course, proven inaccurate. While there is still lack of a definite answer, scientists are positive that it has to do with genetic heredity and neurological development.

 

In 1977, research on twins concluded that Autism was largely caused by genetics and biological differences in the brain. However, in 1998, an article in a medical journal falsely accredited vaccines to be the ultimate cause of Autism. This of course, was retracted and entirely without proof. Recently, scientists have been successfully, looking for links to Autism and epigenetics. Epigenetics allow scientists to discover if environment has an effect on genes. DNA methylation and noncoding RNA play a big part in their research. Environmental agents such as pollution can cause diseases and developmental delays. Despite this, there is still no solidified cause of autism.

 

Over the years, treatments have been wide and varied. In the early 1900's it was often treated with the same medication as schizophrenia. During the 60's the hallucenogenic drug, LSD was used as an avid Autism medication. As the 90's drew nearer, different types of therapy became the preferred method of treatment. Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy quickly rose to in popularity. It is now the most avidy reccommended and used thearapy for Autism. However, without the aid of pharmaceutical treatment, there is no way of solving- or rather calming the issue of autism

 

With the new research involving environmental epigenetics, more accurate theories have been developed regarding the cause of Autism.