Scientists work hard in unraveling the secrets of autism. They now know that autism is biologically inherited, and, can be brought on by environmental trauma. Their emphasis has been on identifying the first signs of autism at the earliest age possible. Today The Times of India is reporting on a new diagnosis technique, observation of sleep patterns in toddlers.
Pennsylvania’s Carnegie Mellon, the University of California, San Diego’s Autism Center of Excellence, and Israel’s Weizman Institute jointly conducted a study of sleeping toddlers; comparing normal children to suspected autistic children.
The children were given MRIs while they slept. This allowed the participating researchers to analyze the brain’s two hemispheres. The left hemisphere is said to be mathematically incline for computation, estimation, direct fact retrieval, and necessary for learning language vocabulary. The right hemisphere is also mathematically inclined but the emphasis is placed on speaking a language.
During the study it was discovered that the brains of toddlers with autism were not in synchronization—there was no coordination between the two hemispheres to influence the toddler’s communication abilities. A normal person’s neurons always work together thus they have normal communication skills. Lesser amounts of coordination determines the severity of autism. The study suggests that brain weakness is the reasoning for impaired communication in autistic persons. Researchers want to be able to predict autism in children so that early intervention can begin. The sooner intervention is started; the easier it will be to prevent or reverse major developmental delays.
This study shows we are one step closer to discovering the key.
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