The History of Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Autism Spectrum Disorder has recently become the most prominent disease in children, located in the United States (329). This disorder unlike any other is not curable. Many scientists and researchers have been on the hunt to find the link or the cause of the autism spectrum disorder. While searching for a direct solution to the disorder, licensed officials have studied the development, characteristics, and function of the brain in autistic children. In the effort of conducting multiple of tests and assignments, researchers found that high- functioning autism spectrum disorder are closely correlated to an effective creative thought processing.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a common disorder that damages childhood progression, causing difficulty in response and social engagement within children. A child who is diagnosed with autism would demonstrate few specific characteristics such as repetition, no direct contact, late response and rocking motion. The disorder cannot be learned or generated from an environmental source. Currently, there is no cure for autism, Researchers believe that autism is formed from genetic makeup and takes place in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex portion of the brain. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex which is responsible for emotions and social interactions, so when Scientist compared an autistic child brain to a child who was absent to the disorder, they noticed that there was a difference in communication and imagination skills. (This theory alone does not cause autism).

Autism Spectrum Disorder was discovered in the early 1940s by an American Psychiatrist, Leo Kanner (82). During this time many researchers was unaware of how to diagnose autism since they were unsure what caused the disorder. The most common symptoms that are associated with the disorder include Lack of emotional and social cues, constant repetitive actions, rocking motion, and late responses. Psychologists who were not knowledgeable of the behavior labeled it as a form of retardation. After the failure of the Psychoanalytic Therapy, Physicians and Psychologists were skeptical of treating the diagnosed children with the prescribed medication because it presented harsh implications.

It wasn’t until the late 1960s when researchers began to realize that autistic children were capable of learning, but most effectively through operant conditioning methods. With the growth of neurogenic evidence, it is known that ASD is caused by genetic error located in the brain synapse. The regions that are closely related to autism symptoms is the amygdala, cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and mirror neurons. An extended laboratory evidence that proved that the synaptogenesis is current in regions which are involved in performing specific reinforced responses. The link between synaptogenesis deficit and the lack of neurons make it almost impossible to overcome strong disorderly behavioral reactions in children. This information has provided researchers with a knowledgeable base of autism and how it affects some individual differently.

A creativity assignment test measured was given to two groups. The first group was the autistic children and the second group was the neurotypical children. The test specifically measured three key components in autistic children and neurotypical children. The three components were fluency of ideas, flexibility, and originality. Once the test was over and the scores were calculated, it was shown that the first group of children performed at a much higher rate than the second group. Creativity test is different among adults and children because a typical child cannot think as challenging as an adult. The same method should apply to autistic children. A low functioning creative test given to an autistic child would result in a lower performance. To test the creativity with the ASD, the test given should demonstrate abstract and unusual assessments (319).

ASD in children are usually overlooked or forgotten about due to the response that are effected by of their disorder. Many of studies have proven that ASD is not a disability nor incompetence. With their creative mindsets and high performance in technology, the Autism Spectrum Disorder can be classified as a strength rather than a flaw.

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