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Autism is what we call a brain that either operates or has developed differently. People with autism will have trouble understanding their senses, including what they see and hear. That is why autistic people have trouble communicating and socializing with others. An official definition of autism is impairments in communication and social interaction, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotypic patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. Because autism is a disorder that occurs in the brain, most autistics will have an intellectual disability. Some will not have such, and will have a normal level of intelligence, and of course there are autistic savants who excel in a specific genres like math or music.

It is still unclear whether the cause for autism is a rare genetic mutation or is it due to a random combination of our variant genes. Prevalence of autism is estimated between two to five in every 10,000 births. However In a broader definition of autism it is estimated that prevalence of autism is more than 1% of all births. Autism in hereditary and studies have shown that siblings of autistics have the likelihood of up to 25 more times to be autistic than a person from the general population. There were some scientifically unsupported claims that childhood vaccines cause autism.

One thing that you need to know about students autism is that each student will have a different set of problems and difficulties. That is why a unique approach for each student is required. The best way to teach an autism student would be with visual aids, because most autistic individuals will have problems learning by the usual social way. Using the visual aids will help the student to focus on it and will not require repetition of the information you are trying to pass on. When praising students with autism make sure you emphasize on what he is being praised upon. E.g. instead of just saying “very good”, make sure the student understand why he is being praised and say “you are painting very well”.

Try to minimize the external sounds around the student. Noises of people talking, fans and the school bell can make it difficult for the student to focus on the task. When dealing with students autism always consider the sensory effect an item will have, be it the visual pattern, the feel of the item or even it’s smell. Remember what activities the student is fund of and which can calm him down, use them to relief the student when trying a frustrating activity. When talking use simple and clear words, you might want to talk more slowly and pause more often to allow the student to process and understand the new information.

Autism causes are a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors that researchers have yet to fully understand. Studies of identical and fraternal twins reveal that genetics play an important role in autism.

A Brief Description of Autism

Defining autism is difficult, as the disorder covers a wide range of symptoms and severity can range from mild to debilitating. A neurological disorder, it causes impairment in social interaction and communication. A person with autism may have restricted interests or engage in abnormal, repetitive behavior. Depending on the severity of symptoms, it causes mild to debilitating impairment.

Autism is part of a group of related disorders collectively called autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The autism spectrum, as its name implies, describes a range of symptoms, rather than specific disorders. Other ASDs include Asperger’s syndrome, Retts syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder, as well as pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified.

Genetic Autism Causes

Most cases have no known cause, but the tendency for disorders of the autism spectrum to run in families suggests a genetic component. Families with one autistic child have a 3 to 8 percent chance that their other children will be autistic.

Twin studies demonstrate the importance of genetics in establishing causes. If one identical twin has autism, studies reveal a 30 percent chance that the other twin is also autistic.

In addition to twin studies, autism research reveals that families of autistic children have a much higher rate of communication defects, impaired social skills or restricted interests, all of which are hallmarks of classic autism and fall within the autism spectrum.

Despite the strong evidence for genetic causes, parents of autistic children are rarely autistic themselves, although they may display personality traits suggestive of autism. Genetics alone, then, does not necessarily account for autism.

Environmental Catalysts and Autism Genetics

Many researchers believe that the potential for autism lies in genetics, but environmental factors are required to “trigger” the disease.

Over time, a number of environmental causes have been identified that may act as catalysts for autism, including:

• bacterial meningitis;
• cytomegalovirus;
• developmental brain disorders;
• fragile X syndrome;
• lead encephalopathy;
• rubella;
• some metabolic disorders;
• toxoplasmosis;
• tuberous sclerosis.

These disorders are not considered definitive causes. Most children who experience these conditions do not develop autism. However these conditions may interact with existing genetic factors, resulting in autism.

Vaccination and Disproven Autism Causes

Some suggested causes have proven false. The early theory that a distant or uncaring mother causes autism has long been disproven.

More recently, an argument was made that the mercury preservative used in vaccinations caused autism. Despite significant research, no link between vaccination and autism has ever been found.

Genetics, Autism and the Future

Most researchers doubt that causes can be traced to a single gene. Instead, they believe that a number of different genes contribute to the development of autism. Some autism experts have even speculated that in the future, what we now label autism will be recognized as a group of similar, but separate diseases.

It may take years to unravel the roles genetics and environment play in autism, but the goal is attainable. Understanding autism causes will help the search for effective treatments and better therapies for autism.