Mechanism of injury and autism
By definition, mechanism of injury refers to the manner in which trauma or damage to the organs, skin, bones, and muscles occur. It this approach that is used by healthcare providers to determine the extent to which a given injury has occurred (Henry 2006). Notably, there is a close relationship between traumatic brain injury and autism. Autism is a developmental disorder where an individual experiences troubles in communication and social interaction. The object of this paper is to explore the mechanism of injury in regard to autism.
For a long time, researchers have always wondered whether an injury to the brain can cause autism. However, recent scholarly publication indicates that brain injury to the brain for infants is a central source of autism. Autism is a dysfunction that is much related to the cerebellum part of the brain. Notably, this part of the brain is responsible for higher brain function such as cognition and language (Burd, Balakrishnan & Kannan, 2012). Similarly, the cerebellum plays a big role in shaping the functioning of the brain beyond the motor abilities. For instance, it assists the brain to develop abilities of processing information necessary to form social relationships (Palmieri & Persico, 2010). In this case, when the cerebellum of an infant is injured, the development of these functions might be hindered and the child might end up suffering from autism. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
In an extensive review of the functioning of the brain, research indicates that when a child has a brain injury especially during the second and the third trimester of pregnancy, the downstream parts of the brain might be prevented from developing properly. The downstream areas also include parts of the brain which are responsible for cognition. Without proper cognition abilities, the child is likely to develop social and communication problems (autism). Volpe, (2009) compares the relationship between autism and brain injury to that of a smoker developing lung cancer.
References
Burd, I., Balakrishnan, B., & Kannan, S. (2012). Models of fetal brain injury, intrauterine inflammation, and preterm birth. American journal of reproductive immunology, 67(4), 287-294.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0897.2012.01110.x
| Henry, J. D., Phillips, L. H., Crawford, J. R., Ietswaart, M., & Summers, F. (2006). Theory of mind following traumatic brain injury: The role of emotion recognition and executive dysfunction. Neuropsychologia, 44(10), 1623-1628. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393206001059 |
| Mayes, S. D., Calhoun, S., Bixler, E. O., & Vgontzas, A. N. (2009). Sleep problems in children with autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, acquired brain injury, and typical development. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 4(1), 19-25. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1556407X08001070 |
Palmieri, L., & Persico, A. M. (2010). Mitochondrial dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders: cause or effect?. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Bioenergetics, 1797(6-7), 1130-1137
| https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005272810001519 |
Volpe, J. J. (2009). Brain injury in premature infants: a complex amalgam of destructive and developmental disturbances. The Lancet Neurology, 8(1), 110-124.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474442208702941