There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for people, especially children, with 'special needs.'
A research conducted by neuroscientists like Mark Bear has led to breakthroughs especially with respect to specific types of autism caused by mutation of a single gene, such as Rett Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in children by the age of 3. It has a debilitating effect on brain areas associated with communication, social skills, cognitive processing, creativity, visualisation and Intuition.
Therefore a child's range of interests and social interactions are severely, if not detrimentally, restricted.
The degree of this disability could range from very mild to very severe and is hence known as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The depressing news is that there has been a marked increase in the incidence of autism in the past few decades. In India, it was estimated that 1 out of 250 individuals was autistic a few years ago; this figure is today 1 in every 150.
In the US, it was said to be 1 in 166 while the same has jumped to 1 in 100 today.
Image: A boy with autism, and the precise line of toys he has made. (Photograph courtesy: Wikipedia)
Text courtesy: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
