Many parents believe that by identifying the cause of autism, the condition may be reversed or avoided. Unfortunately, scientists have yet to identify a single cause of autism in children. It is probable that autism will one day be related to a single gene abnormality, but more likely, the cause is a combination of factors in a child’s environment. Since autism cannot be avoided or cured, the most we can do to assist autistic children and adults is to be compassionate and be willing to compromise to make the environment more convenient for them and ourselves.
To begin with, some factors do not cause autism, and these theories must be debunked immediately. Most notably, autism is not caused by poor parenting. Mothers were once criticised for traumatizing their children by cold parenting tactics, which were believed to cause autism. This is just not the case. Autism is often not caused by malnutrition, though food allergies do occur in many autistic children, and some autistic children benefit from daily vitamin supplementation.
There are many connections between autism and the brain. Most autistic people have larger brains that are “wired” differently than the average brain. Since differences exist in multiple areas of the brain, they cannot be attributed to a single brain dysfunction but rather to a brain malfunction in general. Autistic children exhibit symptoms of immune dysfunction as well. The evidence in this study is not yet solid, but research is ongoing. Many autistic people suffer from other health issues linked to immune deficiencies. Overall, these facts seem to point to genetics. While it is not the parents’ fault, autism is most likely present elsewhere in your family tree, and it is not unusual for parents to raise more than one autistic child. Autism can also be related to vaccines, though this is still being researched extensively. The benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks of them causing autism, so you should not deny them to your child simply out of fear. If you have any questions about vaccines, consult your doctor.
Nobody knows for certain what causes autism. As a result, we can do nothing to prevent or cure it; instead, we can only treat autistic people in our lives to the best of our abilities. The key is to educate yourself about autism—the more you know about the condition, the more you will be able to support those who suffer from it. Autism is a complex issue, and as researchers gain new insights into how it affects the body, more medical options will become available, with the expectation that we will one day be able to cure it.