The Genetics of Autism Essay -- Autism in our DNA

Autism is a condition, or "disorder" that affects many people. Autism strikes at will, when and where it wants. Unlike Downs Syndrome or other birth "defects," Autism leave no marks on those that it strikes. In fact, Autism takes pride in the ability to infiltrate a child's life, while leaving him or her strikingly handsome. Many people may not even know that Autism is there. They blame the child for what it cause him or her to do. This is Autism and it do as it please. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. They can be categorized, in many ways, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some people with ASD thrive in music, math, visual skills and art. The acute signs of autism and symptoms of autism tend to appear between the ages of 2 to 3 years old. (Autism Speaks) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCvYe3MSx68/T6f9sZRTw1I/AAAAAAAAFcE/ZEIaXXZohkw/s1600/autism-spectrum-conditions.jpg Figure 1 Figure 1 shows the variants of autism spectrum disorders. In many cases children are either diagnosed with either Autism or PDD-NOS (Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified). Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify around 1 in 88 American children are diagnosed with autism, additionally exhibiting that autism is four to five times more prevalent among boys than girls. Regime autism statistics suggest that prevalence rates have incremented 10 to 17 percent annually in recent years. ... ...was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, which is a type of autistic disorder that is utilized for "rigorous and pervasive impairment in the development of reciprocal convivial interaction, but the criteria are not met for a categorical autistic disorder. In the early components of this year, his parents had genetics test done on him to optically discern if his twin brother could possibly have the trait to have autism. It was found that he has the Fragile X Syndrome. Fragile X syndrome is associated with the expansion of the CGG trinucleotide reiterate affecting the Fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene on the X chromosome, resulting in a failure to express the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), which is required for mundane neural development. Absence of FMRP in turn leads to abnormalities in brain development and function. Works Cited autismspeaks.com