Autism Spectrum Disorder: He Prefers to Play Alone (Human Diseases and Conditions Collection)

This book is an overview of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), an early childhood condition that affects 1 in 68 children in the United States, and an estimated 1 to 2 percent of children worldwide. ASD is characterized by impaired social skills, communication problems, and repetitive behaviors. The reader will learn about the early signs of ASD, and that the severity of ASD symptoms varies widely, ranging from mild effects with minimal impacts on functionality to severe effects that prevent independent living. The book explains that ASD is usually a complex trait disease caused by mutation of multiple ASD susceptibility genes, but that in rare cases it occurs as part of a monogenic genetic syndrome. The book describes genetic testing for ASD, and presents examples of ASD susceptibility genes that influence the development and function of the brain and the central nervous system. No treatments are available for the core symptoms of ASD, but the book describes therapies and drug treatments that can modulate them and address some of the health complications of ASD. The book presents new ASD biomarkers that can be used for better diagnosis, and explores the hopeful prospect of personalized medicine for ASD. Read more... Abstract: This book is an overview of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), an early childhood condition that affects 1 in 68 children in the United States, and an estimated 1 to 2 percent of children worldwide. ASD is characterized by impaired social skills, communication problems, and repetitive behaviors. The reader will learn about the early signs of ASD, and that the severity of ASD symptoms varies widely, ranging from mild effects with minimal impacts on functionality to severe effects that prevent independent living. The book explains that ASD is usually a complex trait disease caused by mutation of multiple ASD susceptibility genes, but that in rare cases it occurs as part of a monogenic genetic syndrome. The book describes genetic testing for ASD, and presents examples of ASD susceptibility genes that influence the development and function of the brain and the central nervous system. No treatments are available for the core symptoms of ASD, but the book describes therapies and drug treatments that can modulate them and address some of the health complications of ASD. The book presents new ASD biomarkers that can be used for better diagnosis, and explores the hopeful prospect of personalized medicine for ASD Annotation This book is an overview of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), an early childhood condition that affects 1 in 68 children in the United States, and an estimated 1 to 2 percent of children worldwide. ASD causes impaired social skills, communication problems, and repetitive behaviors. The severity of ASD symptoms varies widely, ranging from mild effects with minimal impacts on functionality to severe effects that interfere with functionality and can prevent independent living. ASD is a complex trait disease caused by mutation of multiple ASD susceptibility genes, but it also occurs as part of monogenic genetic syndromes. Genetic testing for ASD is described in the book, and examples of ASD susceptibility genes. No treatments are available for the core symptoms of ASD, but the book describes therapies and drug treatments that can modulate them and address some of the health complications of ASD. The book presents new ASD biomarkers that can be used for better diagnosis and explores the hopeful prospect of personalized medicine for ASD Content: Introduction -- 1. Symptoms and diagnosis -- 2. Causes and contributing factors -- 3. Treatment and therapy -- 4. Future prospects -- Conclusion -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- About the author -- Index.