Are
There Accompanying Disorders?
Several
disorders commonly accompany autism.
To some extent, these may be caused
by a common underlying problem in
brain
functioning.
Mental
retardation
Of
the problems that can occur with autism,
mental retardation is the most widespread.
Seventy-five
to 80 percent of people with autism
are mentally retarded to some extent.
Fifteen to 20 percent are considered
severely retarded, with IQs below
35. (A score of 100 represents average
intelligence.) But autism does not
necessarily correspond with mental
impairment. More than 10 percent of
people with autism have an average
or above average IQ. A few show exceptional
intelligence.
Interpreting
IQ scores is difficult, however, because
most intelligence tests are not designed
for people with autism. People with
autism do not perceive or relate to
their environment in typical ways.
When tested, some areas of ability
are normal or even above average,
and some areas may be especially weak.
For example, a child with autism may
do extremely well on the parts of
the test that measure visual skills
but earn low scores on the language
subtests.
Seizures
About
one-third of the children
with autism develop seizures,
starting either in early childhood
or adolescence. Researchers are trying
to learn if there is any significance
to the time of onset, since the seizures
often first appear when certain neurotransmitters
become active.
Since
seizures range from brief blackouts
to full-blown body convulsions, an
electroencephalogram (EEG) can help
confirm their presence. Fortunately,
in most cases, seizures can be controlled
with medication.
Fragile
X
One
disorder, Fragile X syndrome, has
been found in about 10 percent of
people with autism, mostly males.
This inherited disorder is named for
a defective piece of the X-chromosome
that appears pinched and fragile when
seen under a microscope.
People
who inherit this faulty bit of genetic
code are more likely to have mental
retardation and many of the same symptoms
as autism along with unusual physical
features that are not typical of autism.
Tuberous
Sclerosis
There
is also some relationship between
autism and Tuberous Sclerosis, a genetic
condition that causes abnormal tissue
growth in the brain and problems in
other organs. Although Tuberous Sclerosis
is a rare disorder, occurring less
than once in 10,000 births, about
a fourth of those affected are also
autistic.
Scientists
are exploring genetic conditions such
as Fragile X and Tuberous Sclerosis
to see why they so often coincide
with autism. Understanding exactly
how these conditions disrupt normal
brain development may provide insights
to the biological and genetic mechanisms
of autism.
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