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Brain Development for Kids with Autism 

    By Anzah Khan

        According to research in the US many children are not diagnosed with Autism till the age of four (Piven&Shen, 2017). Since autism is diagnosed by behavior impairments in social interactions and communication it's very difficult to diagnose at any age below 3-4. Research has shown that one early sign of autism is when the brain is a normal size at birth but becomes significantly enlarged by the age of 2-3 (Piven & Shen, 2017). Another study highlighted that children with autism often have an accelerated brain volume growth in early childhood (Cheon et al., 2015). Treatment for autism at the right time is important because it is most effective when the brain is still developing/malleable.

A delay in language development is one of the early warning signs of ASD which leads to social communication deficits (Cheon et al., 2015). The amygdala is a region in the brain which is responsible for processing emotions. Research has shown that kids with ASD have lower activation of the right amygdala compared to children who develop typically. This at times makes it difficult for these children to process certain emotions or understand the emotions of others. This can be treated and these christen can find ways to limit this through interventions. 

Some Interventions that can support healthy brain development for children with autism are behavioral management therapy, joint attention therapy, and social skills training. Behavioral management therapy helps teach children good behaviors and discourages them for bad behaviors. It also helps parents figure out how to navigate their children's bad behaviors and what to do when these behaviors occur. Joint attention therapy helps children share focus with others around them. During this therapy children are taught to look at the same picture, understand when someone is trying to get their attention, and be aware of others. Social skills training is used to help children practice having conversations, interacting, taking turns, maintain eye contact, and navigate social situations. 

References 

Ha, S., Sohn, I. J., Kim, N., Sim, H. J., & Cheon, K. A. (2015).         Characteristics of Brains in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Structure,     Function and Connectivity across the Lifespan. Experimental     neurobiology, 24(4), 273–284. https://doi.org/10.5607/en.2015.24.4.273

Shen, M. D., & Piven, J. (2017). Brain and behavior development in          autism from birth through infancy. Dialogues in clinical                 neuroscience,19(4), 325–333.                                              https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2017.19.4/mshen