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Causes of autism
Autism is a developmental condition affecting the way the brain processes information. It occurs in varying levels of severity and is a lifelong condition; autistic children become autistic adults.
We still don't fully understand the exact causes of autism but research to date has shown it involves many complex and interacting factors, including genetics, the environment and the development of the brain.
The causes of autism are still being investigated. Many experts believe that the pattern of behaviour from which autism is diagnosed may not result from a single cause. There is strong evidence to suggest that autism can be caused by a variety of factors, all of which affect brain development. It is not due to the way a person has been brought up.
There is evidence that genetic factors are involved in the causes of autism. Scientists have been attempting to identify which genes might be implicated in autism for some years and research is continuing in this fast moving area of science.
Autism is likely to have multiple genes responsible rather than a single gene. The difficulty of establishing gene involvement is complicated by the interaction of genes, and by their interaction with environmental factors. This means genetic testing to diagnose autism or who is likely to develop an autistic spectrum disorder is not possible at present.
Medical investigations into autism
Your paediatrician or other professional may offer you investigations after your child’s diagnosis
These are blood test investigations looking at some general health markers (such as a haemoglobin or blood count, Vitamin D level) and some other tests which look for conditions which are known to be associated with autism (such as a muscle marker for Muscular Dystrophies), and genetic tests. The genetic tests look at differences between the child’s genetic material and the rest of the population’s.
For children without physical disability, learning disability, an unusual head size, or unusual facial features, the chances of finding something on the genetic tests are low. In this situation your paediatrician or other professional will give you the choice about whether to go ahead with these blood tests or not. There is no right or wrong way to approach this – different families feel differently about the general and genetic tests.
In the unusual situation where a definite genetic cause was found this may bring information and a ‘reason’ why the child has autism, but it does not mean there is a treatment or ‘cure’.
