Mental
health can be described as the degree of psychological comfort, or nonexistence
of psychological disorder. Mental health includes emotional, social and
psychological well-being. Health conditions which result into changes in an
individual’s behavior and thinking capability are what defines mental illness. It
affects a person feeling, thinking, behavior, and interaction with other
people. Even though autism
spectrum disorder is a not a mental illness, children with this condition are
highly vulnerable to develop mental disorders such as anxiety disorders,
depression, paranoid personality disorder attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder or depression. Autism
as a neurodevelopmental disability has its origins in initial brain
developmental stages (Autism-Speaks-Canada, 2017). Conversely, the most
apparent symptoms have a tendency of emerging at between 12 and 18 months of
infant development. There are cases where toddlers grow normally in the first
year of their development until the second year when they begin to lose skills
and develop autism. The typical forms of Autism are Asperger syndrome, autistic
disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett’s syndrome, pervasive
developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Brain damage can be
described as the degeneration or destruction of the brain cells. Injury to the
brain could be occasioned by accidents or birth defects. Damage to the
cerebellum part of the brain in the womb or during the early stages of
childhood has a significant impact on the occurrence of autism spectrum
disorders in later stages of life. There is a directly proportional
relationship between brain damage and autism. Therefore, it can be concluded
that autism is a form of damage to the brain cells.
Keywords:
Autism, Mental Health, Asperger
syndrome, autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett’s
syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified
Autism-Is
it a kind of brain damage in children?
Introduction
Mental health can
be described as the degree of psychological comfort, or nonexistence of
psychological disorder. Mental health includes emotional, social and psychological
well-being. It affects how we reason, feel, and act. It governs how we
accommodate stress, associate with others, and make choices. Mental health is important
as it enables us to realize our full potential, handle the stresses of life,
work industriously, and make significant contributions to the societies at
every stage of life (WHO, 2009) .
Health conditions which result into changes in an individual’s behavior and
thinking capability are what defines mental illness. It affects a person
feeling, thinking, behavior, and interaction with other people. Examples of
mental illness include kleptomania, paraphilia, neurosis, delirium, psychogenic
amnesia, paranoid personality disorder, somatic symptoms disorder,
schizophrenia, and anxiety disorder (Vigo, et
al., 2016). Even though autism spectrum disorder is a not a mental
illness, children with this
condition are highly vulnerable to develop mental disorders such as anxiety
disorders, depression, paranoid personality disorder attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder or depression. This paper seeks to address autism
spectrum disorder, it various types so as to ascertain whether it’s a kind of
brain damage in children.
Autism, also known
as Autism Spectrum Disorder is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability which
interferes with an individual’s social skills, speech, nonverbal communication,
repetitive behavior and experience with the world around them (Zander, 2007) . According to Autism-Speaks-Canada (2017), autism is currently the
and most regularly diagnosed and fastest growing neurological disorder in
Canada. The prevalence has tremendously increased by 100% in the past 10 years.
1 in 68 children are presently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and it occurs
all racial, ethnic and socio-economic groups. Zander, (2004), in his
publication, titled, “Introduction to autism”, discussed that autism is a
disorder which presents itself in various forms. First, it presents itself as a
communication disorder. About 50% of children with this condition never develop
speech at all. They experience prolong delay or total impairment in language
development which they fail to compensate with nonverbal communication.
Secondly, it presents itself as social interaction disorder. Nearly all
children suffering from autism do not exhibit any social and emotional
reciprocity with their parents or any other person in their social cycle. They
don’t understand emotive signs such eye contacts, intonations, gestures and
even body movements. Thirdly, as a behavioral disorder. Children suffering from
autism, exhibit restricted assortment of behaviour in a repetitive and
stereotypic manner. For instance, they may concentrate on pushing toy car,
which they do repetitively. Any attempt to deter them from such activities is
always met with rage and anger. Finally, such individuals suffering from this
disorder exhibit large variations from others. A person may have severe autism
as a constituent in multiple impairments composed of a mild or extreme learning
disability, and epilepsy, and become exceedingly disabled, or have a less
significant degree of autism and a high level of ability. The variations in the
degree of severity of the behavioral expressions for autism are huge and also
reliant on the person’s personality, age and level of development (Zander,
2007)
Autism as a neurodevelopmental disability has its origins
in initial brain developmental stages (Autism-Speaks-Canada, 2017) . Conversely, the
most apparent symptoms have a tendency of emerging at between 12 and 18 months
of infant development. There are cases where toddlers grow normally in the
first year of their development until the second year when they begin to lose
skills and develop autism. The typical forms of Autism are Asperger syndrome,
autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett syndrome, pervasive
developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
Types
of Autism
1.
Asperger
syndrome
Asperger’s
Syndrome is not a disease or a health problem, but it is lifelong state
categorized by significant impairment in nonverbal communication, social
interactions and repetitive behavior (Segar, 2007) .
Asperger syndrome disorder is named after Hans Asperger, a Viennese
pediatrician who, first defined a set of behavior patterns ostensibly in some
of his patient in
1944, majorly boys. Asperger observed that even though these boys had standard
intelligence and linguistic development, they had brutally compromised social
skills, poor coordination and couldn't converse well with others. Scholars and
mental health specialists are still examining the actual causes of Asperger
syndrome. However, brain deformities are believed to be one possible cause of Asperger
syndrome, since structural and functional differences have been seen in damaged
brains through radical brain imaging (Segar, 2007) .
The good news is
that this syndrome cannot prevent one from becoming successful and fruitful in
the society. Most victims of Asperger’s Syndrome display punctuality,
trustworthy and responsibility, and commitment to duty with special skills in
their areas of specialization. They also have a good memory and keen
concentration in tasks that others may look at as being boring (Segar, 2007) . Nonetheless, they
have very humble social, communication, and emotional skills. They have little
empathy compounded with poor relationships with others (Segar, 2007). Their
conversation is mostly one-sided with an intense absorption interest. Their
movements can also be impaired in some cases. They are rigid thinkers with
difficulty to master easy concepts. Because Asperger syndrome varies widely
from person to person, making a diagnosis can be difficult. It is often detected
later in infants than autism and sometimes may not be recognized until
adulthood (Segar, 2007) .
Diagnosis is important because it helps victims to comprehend why they may face
certain complications and what they can do about them. It also enables them to access
necessary services and support. Diagnosis can be done by the multi-disciplinary
investigative team, comprising a psychologist, speech and dialectal counselor, pediatrician,
and psychiatrist (Segar, 2007) .
Some of the proposed solutions to this condition are parental teaching, specified
learning mediations, social abilities training, language psychotherapy, and sensory
assimilation training (Caulfield, 2011) .
2.
Pervasive
Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified
Pervasive
Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, abbreviated as PDD-NOS, was one
of the several subtypes of autism that was folded into Autism Spectrum Disorder
(Rondeau et al., 2010). The cause of Pervasive
Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, is not clearly known though
scientists believe that hereditary factors could play a role. The early
symptoms of PDD-NOS that can be identified at infancy comprise delays in the
development of communication and socialization skills. These may comprise
delays in using language, difficulty associating to people, unfamiliar play
with toys, and difficulty with variations in routine. Pervasive Development
Disorder involves-Not Otherwise Specified is characterized by interruptions in
the development of elementary childhood skills such as the ability to
communicate, the ability to socialize, and clearly put into use the power of
imagination. Children on with this condition have difficulties with social
communication and interactions (Rondeau et al., 2010). They also tend to avoid
eye contact, inept to precisely express themselves linguistically, have a penetrating
or flat voice, cannot contain a conversation, exhibit distress adjusting
emotions, and perform repetitive behaviors like hand-flapping, shaking, jumping.
They also display confusion, in their way of thinking and, have an acute
difficulty in understanding the environment around them, but are too social
enough to be considered autistic. In diagnosis, clinicians examine the child
and make inquiries from the parents about the child’s actions (Rondeau et al.,
2010). There is no proven laboratory examination for Pervasive Development Disorder-Not
Otherwise Specified. The best mitigation is to establish early enough if a
child is in the range of infection. Early detection is significant in the acquisition
of resources to help the child reach full potential. Even though there are
medications to help children displaying Pervasive Development Disorder-Not
Otherwise Specified symptoms, medication is more effective when combined with
therapy that improves socialization and other life skills. Common therapies
such as visual and environmental support are significant (Rondeau et al., 2010).
3.
Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder
Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) is a
developmental disorder, also known as dementia infantilis, Heller's syndrome,
and disintegrative psychosis. Children suffering from this condition show
normal social and linguistic development in the first two years of normal
development, which is then followed by loss of, social skills, motor skills, and
language. Childhood disintegrative disorder was first described by Thomas
Heller, an Austrian educator in the year 1908. The cause of childhood disintegrative disorder
is indefinite. However, research outcomes propose, that it may be triggered in
the neurobiology of the brain. Most of the children diagnosed with this condition
have an abnormal electroencephalogram. Electroencephalogram determines the
electrical activity in the brain generated by nerve transmission. CDD is also linked
with seizures, another symptom that the neurobiology of the brain may be
entangled. CDD is sporadically related to such diagnosed medical disorders of
the brain as Schilder's disease and leukodystrophy however, research on this
condition is hindered by the infrequency of this disorder (Charan, 2012) .
At the initial
stages of their lives, children with this unusual disorder begin their physical
and mental development in a normal pattern. However, at approximately between 2
and 10 years of age, they begin to lose many of the skills they had established.
Additionally, to the loss of social as
well as communication skills, is more often than not compounded by subsequent
impairment of other functions, such impaired bowel and bladder control system. To
be diagnosed with CDD, a child must show loss in at least two of the following areas,
expressive language skills, receptive language skills, social skills, play with
peers, motor skills, and bowel or bladder control. Treatment emphasize is on timely
and passionate educational interventions. Most treatment is and extremely
structured. Enlightening the parents so that they can support the child’s
treatments at home is usually part of the overall treatment plan. Social skills
development, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and sensory
integration therapy may all be used. Other proposed treatment measures disorder
include environmental therapy, behavioral therapy and medication with antipsychotic
drugs (Charan, 2012) .
4.
Rett's
syndrome
This is a
hereditary neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way the brain grows,
triggering a progressive incapability to use muscles of an eye, body movements,
and speech. Most infants with
Rett syndrome appear to develop normally at first, but after approximately 6
months of growth, they lose abilities they had learned until that time such as,
walk, communicate or the ability to crawl. Infants
with this condition have difficulties with the use of muscles that regulate
movement, communication, and coordination. It can also cause seizures and
logical incapacity (Bathla et al., 2010).
Rett’s syndrome is
associated with the gray matter of the brain. This disorder has been
interrelated to a defect on the X chromosome, meaning it is virtually a
condition which affects female. Children with this very unusual syndrome
display the signs linked to Pervasive Development Disorder-Not Otherwise
Specified. Additionally, they suffer problems with physical development. They
have poorly developed skills such as walking and use of their hands. Victims of
Rett’s syndrome are characterized by gastrointestinal complications and
approximately 80% of them experience seizures. Common symptoms of Retts
syndrome include (Bathla et al., 2010).
·
Slowed growth.
Microcephaly is the first sign that a child has Rett’s syndrome. Hindered
growth in other parts of the body gets obvious as the child grows.
·
Loss of normal movement
and coordination. Muscles become weak with abnormal movement.
·
Loss of communication
abilities. Loss of the ability to speak, to make eye contact and to communicate.
·
Abnormal hand movements.
Children with Rett syndrome typically purposeless hand movements that may
differ for each person.
·
Infants with this
condition, have a characteristic unusual eye movements, such as intense blinking,
and staring.
·
Children with Rett
syndrome become increasingly agitated and irritable as they get older.
·
Loss of skills can be accompanied by a loss of
intellectual functioning.
·
Most people who have Rett syndrome experience
seizures at some time during their lives.
·
Scoliosis is common with
Rett syndrome. It typically begins between 8 and 11 years of age and increases
with age. Surgery may be required if the curvature is severe.
·
Irregular heartbeat which
can result in sudden death.
·
Health problems may have
an increased risk of pain.
Currently there is
no known cure for Rett’s Syndrome, however, sufficient therapies in speech,
occupational, good nutrition, behavioral, supportive services are significant
in rehabilitating this condition (Bathla et al., 2010).
5.
Autistic
disorder
Autistic disorder is a neurodevelopmental
disorder that appears in the first three years of a child growth. A child with
autism disorder displays slight concern in others and lack of societal
consciousness. The cause of autism is not well-known. Scientists propose that it
is a hereditary condition (Owen, et al., 2009) . Researchers in
autism have established a variation of irregularities in the brain structure
and chemicals components, nonetheless, there have been no reliable outcomes.
Victims of this condition don’t interact well with others, tend to evade making eye contact, fails to
develop friends or interact with other children, do not communicate well with
others, demonstrates repetitive behaviors and are preoccupied with lights,
moving objects. Specified behavioral and educational courses are planned to
treat autism. Behavioral therapy is used to teach social skills, motor skills
and cognitive skills (Owen et al., 2009). Distinctive education series that are
extremely structured focus on increasing social skills, speech, language, and
self-care and job skills. Medication is similarly supportive in treating some indications
of autism in some kids (Owen et al., 2009).
Conclusion
Brain damage can be described as the
destruction of the brain cells. Injury to the brain could be occasioned by
accidents or birth defects. According to a study done by (Wang et al., 2014) damage to the cerebellum
part of the brain in the womb or during the early stages of childhood, has a
significant impact on the occurrence of autism later stages of life. Therefore,
it can be concluded that autism is a form of damage to the brain cells. There
is need for more studies on causes symptom and treatments for the typical forms
of Autism are Asperger syndrome, autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative
disorder, Rett syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise
specified.
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