ASIDE from being the Parkinsons Disease Awareness Month, April also celebrated World Autism Day on April 2.
So what is the condition called autism? Well, first it belongs to a small group of disorder referred to as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This spectrum includes three disordersautism, asperger syndrome, and PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified). But let us forget about the last two and proceed with the first.
Autism is a common neurodevelopmental condition primarily identified through three characteristics: (a) impaired social interaction; (b) impaired communication skills (verbal and non-verbal); and (c) increased restricted, repetitive or stereotyped behaviors.
Worldwide, it is observed in about one to two persons per 1,000 people, according to a 2007 Newschaffer study. And it occurs about four times more often in boys than girls.
Scientists still cannot explain the disparity between the genders.
This years world call not to forget autism showed some stride in studies revolving the condition. A study published this year in the Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, for example, noted an increased prevalence of diagnosed autism at age two among children with very low birth weight (less than 1,500 grams).
Another study published in March in the New England Journal of Medicine noted abnormal patches and disorganization of nerve cells in the brain tissue in 10 of 11 children with autism compared to one of 11 children without autism.
All these breakthroughs may in the future shed light into the many unexplored aspects of autism. However, before that, health authorities may have to be more careful in labeling children with a disorder when scientific evidence remains insufficient to support such level without any doubt.
This months World Autism Day also reminded us that labeling can be as inflictive of wounds as the disease that is being treated but which medical science still can't.
The facts of autism remain this: although experts believe that autism has a strong genetic basis, this basis remains complex and unclear. And unlike well-established brain disorders (such as Parkinsons), it has no clear unifying mechanism at either the molecular, cellular, or systems level.
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Letiratus: Celebrating world "Autism" Day