This paper prepares to relate the relationship between the brain stem and Autism as an answer to some of the developmental problems individuals with autism have. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that although well researched, the etiology is weakly understood. “Autism, also referred to as autistic spectrum disorder, is a mysterious neurological disorder with inconclusive etiology “(Elder, p.67). Autism has surpassed other conditions such as Down’s syndrome and multiple sclerosis and has been one OF the most popular neurological condition affecting children worldwide. Autism affects more than 400,000 children in the United States. Once perceived as a disorder cause by ‘faulty mothering’ Autism has now been discovered to be a life long biological syndrome, with origins across the fields of genetics, neurology, immunology, and biochemistry. Autism has shown to have affects on the gastrointestinal and central nervous systems (Gleberzon & Gleberzon, 2001).

The science of epidemiology has often been described as the exploration of the three D’s of a disease: distribution, dynamics and determinants. This approach is used to explain autism (Gleberzon & Gleberzon, 2001). A diagnosis of autism is not to be taken lightly and an assessment requires much time and experience. There is no laboratory tests that can diagnose autism therefore it are based on behavior aspects ALONE. Several antecedent factors have been said to influence autism. Some say that the season of a Childs birth may have some effect on development, studies indicating that children born in March or August being more susceptible (Gleberzon & Gleberzon, 2001). “Certain patterns of abnormal brain structure development among autistic children have been observed in patients exposed to thalidomide” (Gleberzon & Gleberzon, p. 42). The gene Hoxal, located on chromosome 7 also plays an important role in brain development and fits well with a congenital theory of autism. Also a number of environmental risk factors have been established for the development of autism. The observation that autism is more common among individuals exposed to the drug thalidomide has led researchers to believe that autism may be developed during the 20-24th day of pregnancy when the motor neurons of the cranial nerves are being formed. These cell bodies are located in the Brain stem and has been hypothesized that cranial nerve dysfunction may interfere with proper development of that part of the brain ( Gleberzon & Gleberzon, 2001 ). “In other words, the brain stem of a person with autism is shorter than the brain stem of a normal person.” (Gleberzon & Gleberzon, p. 42). The structures located in the brain stem between the pons and medulla are closer to the structures of the lower medulla, this is described as having an appearance of a band of tissue missing and the remaining two pieces as being sewn together without even noticing that the tissue was missing. This has led Rodier, as stated by Gleberzon & Gleberzon (2001) to believe that “many cases of autism, if not all, are initiated very early in gestation” (Gleberzon & Gleberzon, p. 43 ). Several other studies have also shown developmental damage to the cerebellum or a lower number of certain cells as causation. Still others have shown findings related to the temporal area of the brain (Gleberzon & Gleberzon, 2001). A study by Liesegang (1999), of 86 thalidomide-affected subjects showed the finding that four out of five autistic individuals were also mentally retarded; this shows a relationship between cranial nerve involvement and autism. This suggests that brain stem damage probably occurring IN gestation can sometimes be associated with autism (Liesegang, 1999).

There is little doubt that autism has a neurobiological basis although the time of the neurodevelopmental abnormality has not been clear. Most researchers do agree though that it does happen in utero during a critical phase of brain development (Ka

Some topics in this essay:
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