Causes of Autism?

I just read an interesting article about a new theory on the cause of autism.  While I never took any of the medications that are mentioned, this is something I have wondered about my kids over the years.  I’ve known for years that their senses are not like mine.

Both of them are hypersensitive to sounds.  Noises I don’t even notice can cause severe pain to them.  There were restaurants we avoided when they were little because the heating/cooling system was too loud for them and the tears would start.  I would have never figured it out.  I finally saw Rob looking at the vent with a look of fear on his face and it clicked.  Fire drill bells, sirens, timers – all are too painful for them.  When Rob was in elementary school, he had a set of hunter’s ear protection that he could put on whenever he felt the need.  Casey still plugs her left ear often.

Casey smells everything.  They both see in intricate details.  He can’t taste salt; she tastes bitter too strongly.  Textures bother Rob (he is an extremely picky-eater – I think mostly because certain textures just make him gag.) and as much as he hates to wear different types of clothes, he doesn’t notice pain until it is something that would be unbearable for us.

They “sense” people.  When we meet someone new, I watch how the kids react to that person.  If they don’t like someone, I’m sure there is a reason and I tend to avoid that person, too.  So maybe there is something to this “Intense World” theory.  Maybe they do need to pull away just to calm themselves.

But, in reality, every time I hear a new theory on the cause of autism, I wonder why it even matters.  True, if we could find the cause, perhaps it could be fixed, but autism is a spectrum disorder.  Maybe what causes it in my kids isn’t what caused it in others.  Rob developed a high fever soon after getting immunizations and had a seizure.  He lost the few words he had had before that.  Do I believe the shots did this to him?  I don’t know –  but I never let him get another one.

Casey showed signs of autism at a much younger age and she had the traditional signs – lack of awareness of people, no verbal communication (though she could sing entire songs!) and a need for things to be the same.  She had no problems with her shots.  Mandy always got sick after her immunizations, but she doesn’t have autism.

Is it genetics?  Pollution?  Allergies?  Gastrointestinal problems?  Sure, could be any of these.  Rob has a lot of stomach problems (I think this feeds his picky eating) but Casey eats everything and in mixtures that would make us sick.  I haven’t tried the gluten or casein free diets for either of them.  When I talked to their doctor about it, he told me what symptoms people with these issues often had and mine didn’t have those symptoms.

I don’t think the cause of autism is just one thing.  Maybe several have to happen for a person to develop autism.  Maybe it is what I ate when I was pregnant.  Maybe I slept the wrong way or didn’t exercise enough.  Maybe … maybe… maybe… the maybes could drive you crazy and even if you did find out why your children has autism, it wouldn’t change anything.  You would still have a child with autism that you love more than anything in the world.

We need to stop focusing on the cause and the negatives of autism and start looking at the positives.  How many people with autism are amazing artists – in visuals or music?  How many are talented in math, spelling or history?  How many can build intricate designs with any material they are given?  Your child has talents, too – sometimes it just takes time to find them.

Even if you find out what caused your child’s autism, you won’t love him/her any less.  Forget the why and focus on your child.  Help them live in a world that is too loud, too quiet, too smelly, too plain, too colorful and too yucky.  That’s your job.  To love and support the most important people in your life.  🙂