Ashka
Blog Post #2
Topic: Health
Title: Researchers One Step Closer to Potential Autism Tes
Writer: Miriam Falco
Publication: CNN
Date: Dec 2, 2010
650 words
Main Idea: Until this recent study there has not been a test to verify if a child or adult has autism. Doctors have used the “milestone method” to gauge if someone has autism. This means measuring when they learn to crawl, speak walk, etc. A child with autism would develop these skills much later than expected. However a new test has emerged that can identify autism through a 10 minute MRI scan of the brain. In the study 30 males with autism and 30 males without from ages 7-28 were scanned and the results show that brains with autism have a disorganized nervous system compared to normal brains.They researched males first because they are more likely to carry the disease. They looked at the water flow in the brain along nerves and axons to determine irregular patterns in autistic brains. Nicholas Range, an associate professor at Harvard University, throws caution to the fact that the test is not perfect yet and that much more research and lab work on other subject will have to be carried out before any assumptions can be made. He also added that the test should expand to encompass autistic babies and women.
Conclusion: This is another advancement in health that is sure to have an eventual impact on people and families that deal with autism. This has never been done before, which is why it’s such a break through. However this is not a cure to autism, it is only a means to identify it and an imperfect method at that. This test will have its greatest impact in helping develop other tools to identify autism even more accurately and quickly. It is also added that there are many different types of autism and it is not right to assume that every brain functions like the ones in the research.
I think that you are right in that it is not right to assume that every brain functions like the ones in that were in the actual development of the method. I think that this advancement in being able to find autism will be a great benefit to families with children with autism, seeing that it would allow them to handle the situation much a more relaxed way.
ReplyDeleteI think it is an important step to recognize the problem of autism in order to find a way to cure it. In addition, just by knowing the problem, families have a better understanding of their children’s issues and can act accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that researchers are finding other ways to diagnose autism. It is hard to diagnose early on if the symptoms aren't as obvious than a child with worse autism. My cousin is very autistic and I my aunt and uncle didn't know until he was about 3, which was what the doctor concluded by his lack of social development. It's important that a parents knows if their child is autistic early on because they can prepare for how it will be later on, and they can be clear on what neurological disorder their child really has.
ReplyDeleteAutism is a very difficult disease to deal with. Many families, especially younger ones, have trouble dealing with an autistic child physically, as well as financially. If this test proves viable, it would make a huge difference in preparing those families for their future as parents.
ReplyDeleteIf the test is able to accurately detect autism in babies or very young children, it could potentially improve the lives not only of the autistic children's families, but also the lives of the autistic children themselves. An earlier diagnosis allows physicians to start the therapies currently available to ameliorate the condition sooner, allowing the children to potentially lead fuller lives. However, to avoid misdiagnosing patients, this method must be rigorously tested before it is approved for mainstream use.
ReplyDeleteI love biology and i find this an amazing idea. Science always takes innovation to make new new ideas, new tests, and to discover new things. The way this test works is a little vague at the moment but seems very interesting. If the test can soon be expanded to women and younger children then this may be become a revolutionary test. At the moment it's not very big or for a wide demographic but i still can't wait to see what else they can do with this.
ReplyDelete