02/09/2003

Recent research shows that five areas of the brain malfunction in people who have autism spectrum disorder, according to Laurence M. Hirshberg, a clinical psychologist, faculty member of Brown University Medical School and founder of the NeuroDevelopment Center in Providence.

The areas are:

The cerebellum, which oversees motor control and balance; the amygdala, which controls emotional arousal; the pre-frontal lobe, which Hirshberg calls the "boss of the brain" that handles attention and organization; the posterior temporal lobe, which regulates visual perception and face recognition; the cingulate gyrus, which helps people shift gears emotionally and verbally.

Abnormalities in these five areas "account for all of the symptoms" associated with autism spectrum disorder, Hirshberg said, including problems with attention, self-control, social problem-solving, abstract thinking, resistance to change, anxiety, sensory processing, math skills and motor coordination.

In addition, new research into neuroplasticity, or changes in brain function, indicates it may be possible to "rewire" autistic children's brains, Hirshberg says.

For example, when autistic children see a familiar face, they often appear blank and don't show recognition. Researchers now know that the non-response is because the part of the brain that registers those responses doesn't activate. Instead, the part of the brain that recognizes inanimate objects "lights up."

'So when a parent says 'my child looks at me like an object' they're literally correct," Hirshberg says.

He says it might be possible to train autistic children to respond to people by having them study faces and human emotions.

Autism spectrum disorder covers three neurological conditions. Individuals with these conditions share certain characteristics: difficulty being flexible, making friends, and communicating. Also, they have a tendency for repetitive speech and habits, and a preoccupation with a limited span of interests. It affects boys four times as much as girls. However, there are some differences in the three forms.

AUTISM

Mental retardation accompanies autism in its severe form -- 75 percent of all cases.

It shows up before the age of 3 as a delay in or lack of verbal language development.

ASPERGER'S SYNDROME

This is offten called high-functioning autism because those affected acquire adequate language skills and usually have normal-to-above-average intelligence.

PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED

A catch-all category for those who either do not meet the criteria for the other disorders in the spectrum or do not have the degree of impairment associated with them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also list two very rare disorders under the category of pervasive developmental disorders: childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett Syndrome.