Autism and the Brain
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Updated June 12, 2014.
To start with, it provides an understanding of what's going on in an autistic person's mind. Says Minshew: "They think differently becaue their brain is wired differently. They think logically and predictably, but differently.
It's as if they're colorblind. You wonder why someone doesn't stop at a red sign -- and it's because they can't see it. Teachers need to be taught this. When the teacher says "ok close your books and hop over to the door" and the child hops, the teacher feels mocked. She hasn't been mocked; she's been obeyed."
Understanding differences in the autistic brain may also provide hints for better communication. For example, since it may be harder for a person with autism to process multiple ideas, or to multi-task, it makes sense to "say less; give the facts; don't give a lot of tone of voice and gestures and distractions. You'd be surprised how many behavior problems are related to that. Remember that the child is dealing with facts, not concepts."
"I think treatments are coming. Functional underconnectivity studies show that there are increased neuronal fibers; these studies are consistent.
Now we need to find out whether, if we do a certain cognitive paradigm, we increase connectivity. It probably can be done. But these will be very different cognitive therapies than ABA. There's a time for behavioral therapy, and a time for stopping that -- to shift from learning rules to being flexible and acquiring interactive circuity. In autistic brains, circuitry is developing into adulthood -- but it's not developing in the right way, and it stops developing too soon. With the right treatment, though, it can be pushed."
References:
Minshew, Nancy. Telephone interview. September 14, 2006.
Minshew, Nancy, Antonio Y. Hardan, Ragy R. Girgis, Jason Adams, Andrew R. Gilbert, Matcheri S. Keshavan . "Abnormal brain size effect on the thalamus in autism ." Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 147(2006): 145-151 .
Ragy R. Girgis, Nancy J. Minshew, Nadine M. Melhem, Jeffrey J. Nutche, Matcheri S. Keshavan and Antonio Y. Hardan. "Volumetric alterations of the orbitofrontal cortex in autism." Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 24 July 2006.
Hideya Koshino, Patricia A. Carpenter, Nancy J. Minshew, Vladimir L. Cherkassky, Timothy A. Keller and Marcel Adam Just. "Functional connectivity in an fMRI working memory task in high-functioning autism." NeuroImage, Volume 24, Issue 3, 1 February 2005, Pages 810-821
M.F. Casanova, I. van Kooten, A.E. Switala, H. van Engeland, H. Heinsen, H.W.M. Steinbusch, P.R. Hof and C. Schmitz. "Abnormalities of cortical minicolumnar organization in the prefrontal lobes of autistic patient." Clinical Neuroscience Research, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 1 September 2006
Isabel Dziobek, Stefan Fleck, Kimberley Rogers, Oliver T. Wolf and Antonio Convit. "The ‘amygdala theory of autism’ revisited: Linking structure to behavior." Neuropsychologia, Volume 44, Issue 10, 2006, Pages 1891-1899
David E. Welchew, Chris Ashwin, Karim Berkouk, Raymond Salvador, John Suckling, Simon Baron-Cohen and Ed Bullmore. "Functional disconnectivity of the medial temporal lobe in Asperger’s syndrome." Brain Research, Volume 1043, Issues 1-2, 10 May 2005, Pages 12-2.
Rebecca Knickmeyer, Simon Baron-Cohen, Peter Raggatt, Kevin Taylor and Gerald Hackett. " Fetal testosterone and empathy." Hormones and Behavior, Volume 49, Issue 3, March 2006, Pages 282-292
Updated June 12, 2014.
What Brain Differences Mean to You
Autism may be described as a syndrome characterized by specific neurological differences. But what does that mean to the parent or teacher of a person with autism?To start with, it provides an understanding of what's going on in an autistic person's mind. Says Minshew: "They think differently becaue their brain is wired differently. They think logically and predictably, but differently.
It's as if they're colorblind. You wonder why someone doesn't stop at a red sign -- and it's because they can't see it. Teachers need to be taught this. When the teacher says "ok close your books and hop over to the door" and the child hops, the teacher feels mocked. She hasn't been mocked; she's been obeyed."
Understanding differences in the autistic brain may also provide hints for better communication. For example, since it may be harder for a person with autism to process multiple ideas, or to multi-task, it makes sense to "say less; give the facts; don't give a lot of tone of voice and gestures and distractions. You'd be surprised how many behavior problems are related to that. Remember that the child is dealing with facts, not concepts."
How Understanding the Autistic Brain May Improve Outcomes
Will a better understanding of the autistic brain lead to better treatments? Minshew thinks the answer is "yes.""I think treatments are coming. Functional underconnectivity studies show that there are increased neuronal fibers; these studies are consistent.
Now we need to find out whether, if we do a certain cognitive paradigm, we increase connectivity. It probably can be done. But these will be very different cognitive therapies than ABA. There's a time for behavioral therapy, and a time for stopping that -- to shift from learning rules to being flexible and acquiring interactive circuity. In autistic brains, circuitry is developing into adulthood -- but it's not developing in the right way, and it stops developing too soon. With the right treatment, though, it can be pushed."
References:
Minshew, Nancy. Telephone interview. September 14, 2006.
Minshew, Nancy, Antonio Y. Hardan, Ragy R. Girgis, Jason Adams, Andrew R. Gilbert, Matcheri S. Keshavan . "Abnormal brain size effect on the thalamus in autism ." Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 147(2006): 145-151 .
Ragy R. Girgis, Nancy J. Minshew, Nadine M. Melhem, Jeffrey J. Nutche, Matcheri S. Keshavan and Antonio Y. Hardan. "Volumetric alterations of the orbitofrontal cortex in autism." Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 24 July 2006.
Hideya Koshino, Patricia A. Carpenter, Nancy J. Minshew, Vladimir L. Cherkassky, Timothy A. Keller and Marcel Adam Just. "Functional connectivity in an fMRI working memory task in high-functioning autism." NeuroImage, Volume 24, Issue 3, 1 February 2005, Pages 810-821
M.F. Casanova, I. van Kooten, A.E. Switala, H. van Engeland, H. Heinsen, H.W.M. Steinbusch, P.R. Hof and C. Schmitz. "Abnormalities of cortical minicolumnar organization in the prefrontal lobes of autistic patient." Clinical Neuroscience Research, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 1 September 2006
Isabel Dziobek, Stefan Fleck, Kimberley Rogers, Oliver T. Wolf and Antonio Convit. "The ‘amygdala theory of autism’ revisited: Linking structure to behavior." Neuropsychologia, Volume 44, Issue 10, 2006, Pages 1891-1899
David E. Welchew, Chris Ashwin, Karim Berkouk, Raymond Salvador, John Suckling, Simon Baron-Cohen and Ed Bullmore. "Functional disconnectivity of the medial temporal lobe in Asperger’s syndrome." Brain Research, Volume 1043, Issues 1-2, 10 May 2005, Pages 12-2.
Rebecca Knickmeyer, Simon Baron-Cohen, Peter Raggatt, Kevin Taylor and Gerald Hackett. " Fetal testosterone and empathy." Hormones and Behavior, Volume 49, Issue 3, March 2006, Pages 282-292