Our understanding of autism has evolved a great deal since the dark days when doctors blamed it on cold, distant mothering. Scientists have identified any number of factors that are linked to an increased risk of developing autism, from more than 100 different genes to prenatal factors (such as exposure to certain medications or maternal infection during pregnancy) to a variety of other health concerns in mothers, including obesity, gestational diabetes and autoimmune diseases like lupus. We?ve also learned a lot about which types of therapy are most effective at promoting positive changes in behaviour, communication and social skills in kids with autism.
?There has been a huge paradigm shift from autism being viewed as purely genetic or purely a different hard-wired brain to autism being a complex condition that affects many body systems, including the brain, genes, gut and immune system,? notes Laurie Mawlam, executive director of Autism Canada. Another paradigm shift: Rather than regarding it as a brain disorder, the thinking now is that autism is a disorder that affects the brain and other systems in the body, says Mawlam. (There is also a growing belief that there may, in fact, be more than one different type of autism.) ?The good news is, a lot of things are happening in research,? she adds. ?There?s a lot of hope.? Here are just a few of the fascinating developments in research that have taken place over the past year.
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