Knowledge is power.
You all know that my son, Calvin, has Autism.
Well, here is some info about the Autistic Brain. This was explained to me when he was 2, but was just released in Time magazine.
Anatomy of the Autistic Brain:
The frontal lobes, home to higher reasoning, are greatly enlarged, due mainly to excess white matter, the brain's connector cables. Thje brain of kids who develop Autism are growing at an unusual rate by age 2(which is why Doctors can't diagnose autism until the age of 2) and have puzzling signs of inflamation.
The corpus callosum is undersize. This band of tissue links the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Activity across diverse regions of the brain is poorly coordinated in Autistic people, more like a jam session than a symphony.
The amygdala is also enlarged. This area plays a role in sizing up threats in the environment and in emotional and social behavior(thus, most autistics don't understand most social situations, such as people making fun of them, the things they say that may hurt someone else's feelings and as with most kids, they dont understand the idea of being popular and submitting themselves to peer pressure..etc). It's size may be realated to the high level of anxiety in autistic people. (Calvin tenses up, grinds his hands together, his whole body tenses up and he grinds his teeth. The Doc told me that it was his way of relieving his anxiety and no matter how much I try to stop him from tensing, he will find another way to rid himself of said anxiety)
The hippocampus is about 10% larger than normal. This area is vital to memory. One possibility is that this structure becomes enlarged because autistic children rely on memory to interpret situations that most people access elsewhere.
The cerrebellum, like the frontal lobes, is overloaded with white matter. This region plays a key role in physical coordination, motor planning and anticipating events- all can be weak areas for people with autism.
Now, not all autistics have all said brain abnormalities. That is why it is called a spectrum disorder. For some, their frontal lobes are smaller, others, bigger. IT's different for each autistic child.
My son is severely autisic, but high functioning. High functioning autistics will look at you, talk and interact with others. Rain man was low functioning. He wouldn't look at anyone, had a strict schedule that HAD to be complied with, but at the same time, he was a savant. He could count a box of toothpicks as they fell to the ground and would give an accurate count of all that was contained in the box.
Luckily, Calvin is also a savant. He has always excelled in math, science, art and reading. It's reading comprehension he lacks in.
Then again, he doesn't he doesn't know how to "be cool" or submit himself to social circumstances.
This concludes lesson one of autism.
Well, here is some info about the Autistic Brain. This was explained to me when he was 2, but was just released in Time magazine.
Anatomy of the Autistic Brain:
The frontal lobes, home to higher reasoning, are greatly enlarged, due mainly to excess white matter, the brain's connector cables. Thje brain of kids who develop Autism are growing at an unusual rate by age 2(which is why Doctors can't diagnose autism until the age of 2) and have puzzling signs of inflamation.
The corpus callosum is undersize. This band of tissue links the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Activity across diverse regions of the brain is poorly coordinated in Autistic people, more like a jam session than a symphony.
The amygdala is also enlarged. This area plays a role in sizing up threats in the environment and in emotional and social behavior(thus, most autistics don't understand most social situations, such as people making fun of them, the things they say that may hurt someone else's feelings and as with most kids, they dont understand the idea of being popular and submitting themselves to peer pressure..etc). It's size may be realated to the high level of anxiety in autistic people. (Calvin tenses up, grinds his hands together, his whole body tenses up and he grinds his teeth. The Doc told me that it was his way of relieving his anxiety and no matter how much I try to stop him from tensing, he will find another way to rid himself of said anxiety)
The hippocampus is about 10% larger than normal. This area is vital to memory. One possibility is that this structure becomes enlarged because autistic children rely on memory to interpret situations that most people access elsewhere.
The cerrebellum, like the frontal lobes, is overloaded with white matter. This region plays a key role in physical coordination, motor planning and anticipating events- all can be weak areas for people with autism.
Now, not all autistics have all said brain abnormalities. That is why it is called a spectrum disorder. For some, their frontal lobes are smaller, others, bigger. IT's different for each autistic child.
My son is severely autisic, but high functioning. High functioning autistics will look at you, talk and interact with others. Rain man was low functioning. He wouldn't look at anyone, had a strict schedule that HAD to be complied with, but at the same time, he was a savant. He could count a box of toothpicks as they fell to the ground and would give an accurate count of all that was contained in the box.
Luckily, Calvin is also a savant. He has always excelled in math, science, art and reading. It's reading comprehension he lacks in.
Then again, he doesn't he doesn't know how to "be cool" or submit himself to social circumstances.
This concludes lesson one of autism.