Autism Medication

As a child I had a best friend whose brother is autistic. When I moved away from where I lived, a new best friend of mine also had an autistic brother. I was always curious as to what autism really was and what the treatment was for it. I am curious as to what the latest treatment scientists have come up with and what effects and side effects they have on the autistic children.

I’m sure a majority of people have heard of autism and think they know what it is. For those of us who are uncertain, autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) (What is Autism? 1). This group is often referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder.  It is estimated that one in 110 children have autism. That is more than juveniles with AIDS and childhood cancer combined. Each year the number of children diagnosed with autism increases by 10-17 percent. This could be because we are getting better at detecting even the slightest cases or because there are outside factors.  Autism seems to be more common in boys than girls. About one in 70 boys have autism.

Many people wonder what causes autism and there really isn’t a known answer. There have been thoughts of a few cases being genetic disorders such as Fragile X, Tuberous Sclerosis, and Angelman’s Syndrome. Exposure to environmental agents such as infectious ones (maternal rubella or cytomegalovirus) or chemical ones (thalidomide or valproate) during pregnancy are also thought to be potential causes of autism.  Research is being done on whether the immune system has anything to do with autism. There is evidence from the last thirty years that suggest inflammation in the central nervous system may be a cause. Autism Speaks is working to extend awareness and investigation of potential immunological issues to researchers outside the field of autism as well as those within the autism research community (What is autism? 1).  It used to be thought that autism was a result of bad parenting, but studies throughout the years have shown that it is a biological disorder and parenting has nothing to do with it.

There are many different ways to approach how to handle autism. There are behavior and communications therapies, educational therapies and medications. Behavior and communication therapy works on social, language and behavioral difficulties associated with autism. There are different facilities that specialize in each aspect and focus on that one part. Although they never outgrow autism, some kids are able to learn to function well with the disorder. Educational therapies are also used. Children with autism often respond well to highly structured education programs (Treatments and Drugs 1). A successful educational program includes a lot of instructors and has a lot of activities for the children to do. It focuses on social skills, communication and behavior.

No medication can improve the core signs of autism, but certain medications can help control symptoms. Antidepressants may be prescribed for anxiety, for example, and antipsychotic drugs are sometimes used to treat severe behavioral problems (Treatments and Drugs 1).

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have proposed a new theory of autism. It suggests that the brains of people with autism are structurally normal but dysregulated, meaning symptoms of the disorder might be reversible (Science News).  Some researchers believe that autism is a developmental disorder in the locus coeruleus, a bundle of neurons in the brain stem that processes sensory signals from all areas of the body. The new theory stems from decades of observations that some autistic children seem to improve when they have a fever, only to lessen when the fever ebbs. A 2007 study in the journal Pediatrics took a deeper look at fever and autism. They observed autistic children during and after fever episodes and comparing their behavior with autistic children who didn’t have fevers. This study showed that autistic children experience behavior changes during fever (Science News).  Whether or not they are on to something is unsure. Researchers are still studying and trying to find out more about autism.

There has been a breakthrough at the Indiana University School of Medicine. They have been doing research on how to alleviate autism symptoms. The drug, Arbaclofen, designed to rebalance brain chemistry hailed as the first treatment that could help ease Autism’s distressing symptoms (New Autism Drug Offers Hope 1). A team from the university enrolled 25 autistic children ages 6 to 17. The severity of each child’s condition was tested. The found the levels of communication, imagination, and social relationship problems. They gave the drug to each patient for over eight weeks. At the end of the eight week trial, the participants seemed to be calmer and more sociable. Other observations made were more frequent eye contact, less anxious, and less irritable.

So how does Arbaclofen work? Well, the current line of treatment is usually usage of anti-depressants and anti-psychotics that will target only specific problems. With Arbaclofen, brain chemistry is being rebalanced. This drug is being developed by Seaside Therapeutics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Arbaclofen is also thought to normalize their oversensitivity to loud noises, sudden changes in the environment, and increase of anxiety and fear. Although this seems to be such a remarkable finding, it is unsure how well it will work for every person who takes it seeing as it will effect each person differently especially with different severities of the disorder.

What do you know about autism and related issues? Have you heard of any other new medications to help with the behavior? Do you know anything from personal experiences or relationships with autistic people regarding behavior? Do you think there are other underlying factors that cause autism? Could this help researchers come up with new treatments?

5 thoughts on “Autism Medication

  1. As I was reading your blog, I wondered why autism is more common in boys than girls. Autism affects boys four times more than girls. This is because a gene variant that can increase the risk of getting autism. This gene is called CACNA1G that is located on chromosome 17. The gene helps move calcium between cells. Researchers haven’t determined how this gene contributes to autism, but it is said that it cannot be a risk factor on its own. A professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that this gene variant is one step closer to identifying all the genes involved in autism. In a study, researchers found that a common form of the gene occurs more in the DNA of families that have more than one sons affected with autism, but not affected daughters.

  2. Autism is a disorder of neural development that affects childrens behavior, communication, and interactions. Can you imagine what it’s like finding out your child has autism and not knowing how to raise them? It must be hard for parents and other siblings. According to the article “Helping Children with Austism”, there are four basic tips for parents with a child\children with autsim;provide structure and safetly, find nonverbal ways to connect, create a personalized autism treatment plan, and find help and support. According to the article “Risperidone in Children with Autism and Serious Behavioral Problems”, the “medicine” risperidone had a positive affect on two thirds of the kids. It helped with tantroms, aggression, and prevented self-injurious behavior. Autism isn’t something kids grow out of, but it can be treated and cared for with love and patience.

    http://www.helpguide.org/mental/autism_help.htm

    http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa013171

  3. supported by http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/09/can-apple-ipad-cure-autism/

    As you said in your blog, people with Tuberous Sclerosis have Autism, in most cases. Well my sister has Tuberous Sclerosis and along with that came her Autism. Her Autism affects her life greatly. She usually gets shy around new people, and she spends most of her time in her room alone singing songs from her iPod and doesn’t want people to disturb her while she does this. When she is doing this, which she always is, it seems as though she is in her own little world. When she has friends come over, which is really rare, she seems to just want to do stuff and activities by herself instead of with the friend that she invited over. My parents did some research and talked to some doctors and found out that an iPad can also be good therapy to help Autistic people become more interactive. My sister actually just received an iPad for her 13th birthday. Doctors and even some of her teachers say that some apps from iTunes (most of them are free), that include learning along tools with it, are made for Autistic people to interact with the program and get them socializing more and learning socializing skills. I have seen some schools that have applied this technique into their curriculum for the special needs departments. So, yes, I have a personal relationship with my sister who has Autism and have found out that the iPad could be another good therapy tool to help Autistic people.

  4. supported by http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/09/can-apple-ipad-cure-autism/

    As you said in your blog, people with Tuberous Sclerosis have Autism, in most cases.
    Well my sister has Tuberous Sclerosis and along with that came her Autism. My
    parents did some research and talked to some doctors and found out that an iPad can
    also be good therapy to help Autistic people become more interactive. My sister
    actually just recieved an iPad for her 13th birthday. Doctors say that some apps
    from itunes (most of them are free) are learning ones that are made for Autistic
    people to interact with the program and get them socializing more and learnign
    socializing skills. So, yes, I have a personal relationship with my sister who has
    Autism and have found out that the iPad could be another good therapy tool to help
    Autistic people

  5. I have little experience with Autism, but from what I’ve seen with my little cousin, it’s really hard to overcome. Sam, my cousin of 4 years old, says “Hi” to everyone in the room, will not eat many foods, and has a hard time playing with his twin sister Liv. Liv is growing and behaving “normally” if you want to call it that, whereas when she asks Sam to play, he doesn’t understand. When they were little, it was really hard to watch, but now that they are older it’s even worse. Sam does not understand Liv, they can’t talk to each other very well and they are very different in personality. After you get past all of this, you realize that Sam is the cutest little kid ever. He never is mean- even though he might not understand the situation, and throws a fit- he still is one more 4 year old. Over his four years of life so far, Sam has grown and become increasing better. Most doctors say that autism isn’t reversible, but they can “tone” it down. Sam now understands better between rights and wrong, will not hit or bite anymore, and can play with Liv all day! I have watched their parents go through so much; just to make sure Sam has the right care, and can be treated the best way. I’m just glad we still have Sam to play and laugh with, and I wouldn’t have him any other way.

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