Autism

After working with children with Autism for years, it is a disorder that is very near and dear to my heart. I often ask the Lord- Why? Why is it so prevalent? Why does it seem to be increasing? There are many questions about it that are left unanswered. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what Autism is, it's "A mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships, and in using language and abstract concepts".

The children I treated with Autism were unusual, had behavior problems, social disorders, and were extremely behind in their language skills (specifically receptive language).

I was reading in my Speech Pathology journal (yes, I now actually have time to read!) this week, and they have some new research on Autism. In a study that appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry (of more than 1800 children, 300 of whom had ASD) they found that children whose mothers use antidepressants during pregnancy have a greater risk for having a child with Autism.

Those who took antidepressants in the year before giving birth were twice as likely as the average person to have an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disordered) child. Those who took the prescription drugs during the first trimester were four times as likely to have a child with ASD.

This is not written to make anyone feel guilty if you do take antidepressants, but it is something that I felt compelled to pass on once I read it.

To read the complete article, go to http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/archgenpsychiatry.2011.73