What may cause Autism

I think what might cause autism is a gap/disconnect between one's conscious and unconscious mind.

This might lead to/could explain thinking in pictures as thoughts may often leave-off at a more subconscious level.

Also, as a thought it be harder to get across this mental barrier, it may lead to repetition of those thoughts that do.

In the case of one whose more mildly affected by Autism, it would make them more alert to literal language content/meaning as well as less aware of others social subtitles, and thus result in the logical, "Spock-like" demeanor.

If this is true, it might some how be be able to indicated by an E.E.G. study for people with Autism (although I'm unsure how the brain waves would reflect this phenomenon if they do . . .)

Well, that's my theory. Feed back is welcome! Thanks for reading.

What do you think about the extra synaptic connections finding? How would your theory fit into that (if at all?)

That's a very nice description, thank you.

seabreezeblue wrote:What do you think about the extra synaptic connections finding? How would your theory fit into that (if at all?)

I would guess that probably comes from the brain trying to compensate for this gap by making more connections?

Also, I really appreciate the replies.

Thinking in pictures is something that's more common in people on the spectrum, but not all people that think in pictures are autistic, and not all autistic people think in pictures.

If you had said that one of the biggest parts of autism was that there's too small a gap/disconnect between ones conscious and unconscious mind, I might be more agreeable.. but i'm not in favour of your theory as it stands. Going by my own experience of being on the autistic spectrum, and having spoken to quite a few others.. I think the reverse is more credible.

An example;


When I go to the supermarket, I'm instantly engulfed by sensory information. I walk through the doors and listen to the squeak and hiss as they slide open, shuddering slightly on the way..
There are lights.. fluorescents.. too bright.. brighter than the daylight.. my eyes instantly hurt and I try to shift my focus off of them.. but I can't shift focus to anything solid.. everything is making too much noise, there are a hundred voices all pushing through my head.. babies screaming, people talking loudly into their phones,. pushing past me.. twenty or so trollys being pushed towards me by people that aren't looking where they're going..
the fridges hum.. the smells are thick and need pushing through too.. washing powder, perfume, aftershave (worst smell ever.. it seeps into and lingers.. almost crawls into my head), bread (that one's nice usually.. depending on my level of overwhelm)..

I can't block these things out.. other people block them out and filter them without even realising they're doing it.. their subconscious filters and clears everything.. processes all of it.. they have a nice big gap between conscious and subconscious.

The autistic brain has too many synaptic connections.. leading to sensory overload - we're getting 5/10/15/20 etc x the amount of information we should be.. that leads to us living more in our heads than we ''should'' do..

From what I've noticed from the most 'normal' and confident allistics, they're barely conscious of even their surface thoughts.. they don't have the constant chatter of all their thoughts running in the background all the time..


Repetition is done by us because it's solid.. grounding.. everything else is moving, there's nothing else that's solid, so we use repetition as a kind of tether. It calms us down, gives us a focus.

I have Autism because my mum had Toxaemia (blood poisoning) when she was carrying me and I was then born with my thyroid not working at all. I was blue for a bit too (lack of oxygen) and had jaundice.

The thyroid condition wasn't found until I was 23 months old. Apparently I was a very passive baby, never made a noise and just stared at the lights, all development milestones were delayed by several years, this would suggest the cause (for me at least) was metabolic and from toxins (blood poisoning)?

I have many other neurological issues too.

Rubella (in the mother when pregnant) and TB (in the baby) also causes it. Other environmental toxins can cause it. There was a big fuss over MMR vaccines as they used to contain a mercury preservative that some children were very sensitive to.

KitMcDaydream wrote:Rubella (in the mother when pregnant) and TB (in the baby) also causes it. Other environmental toxins can cause it. There was a big fuss over MMR vaccines as they used to contain a mercury preservative that some children were very sensitive to.

I was born 7 weeks premature and my liver was underdeveloped. I wasn't processing bilirubin. I wonder if that had to do with it.

pamelaperejil wrote:I was born 7 weeks premature and my liver was underdeveloped. I wasn't processing bilirubin. I wonder if that had to do with it.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/autism/22663

Jaundiced newborns had an almost 90% higher likelihood of subsequently having any psychological developmental disorder compared with neonates without jaundice (HR 1.87, 95% CI 1.58 to 2.21, P=0.001), according to Rikke Damkjær Maimburg, PhD, of Aarhus University in Denmark, and colleagues.

Moreover, those born at term with jaundice had a 56% greater risk of the specific diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder -- a disorder on the autism spectrum -- than those without jaundice (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.30, P=0.028), the researchers reported in the November issue of Pediatrics.

Full-term neonates with jaundice are at greatly increased risk of later being diagnosed with a disorder of psychological development, a Danish study found.

Jaundiced newborns had an almost 90% higher likelihood of subsequently having any psychological developmental disorder compared with neonates without jaundice (HR 1.87, 95% CI 1.58 to 2.21, P=0.001), according to Rikke Damkjær Maimburg, PhD, of Aarhus University in Denmark, and colleagues.

Moreover, those born at term with jaundice had a 56% greater risk of the specific diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder -- a disorder on the autism spectrum -- than those without jaundice (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.30, P=0.028), the researchers reported in the November issue of Pediatrics.
Neonatal jaundice typically is caused by increased bilirubin production and inadequate liver excretory function.

Exposure to high levels of bilirubin is neurotoxic in very young children and can be fatal or associated with permanent sequelae.

Recent research also has suggested that even moderate bilirubin exposure in very young children can be harmful, possibly leading to impairments in their development.

In an earlier case-control study, Maimburg and colleagues found a nearly fourfold increased risk of autism among children who had neonatal jaundice.

!!!!!!!! This is it !!!!!!!!!!

Interesting.. no idea if i had jaundice (i'll ask my mother), but my daughter did.

I'll have to take a look into that.

https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional ... a#v1087755

Exchange Transfusion
This treatment can rapidly remove bilirubin from circulation and is indicated for severe hyperbilirubinemia, which most often occurs with immune-mediated hemolysis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoimmun ... tic_anemia
The causes of AIHA are poorly understood. The disease may be primary, or secondary to another underlying illness. The primary illness is idiopathic (the two terms used synonymously). Idiopathic AIHA accounts for approximately 50% of cases.[9] Secondary AIHA can result from many other illnesses. Warm and cold type AIHA each have their own more common secondary causes. The most common causes of secondary warm-type AIHA include lymphoproliferative disorders (e.g., chronic lymphocytic leukemia, lymphoma) and other autoimmune disorders (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis). Less common causes of warm-type AIHA include neoplasms other than lymphoid, and infection. Secondary cold type AIHA is also caused primarily by lymphoproliferative disorders, but is also commonly caused by infection, especially by mycoplasma, viral pneumonia, infectious mononucleosis, and other respiratory infections. Less commonly, it can be caused by concomitant autoimmune disorders.[10]

Does this mean that severe hyperbilirubinemia in neonatals can be caused by an underlying autoimmune condition? It said somewhere in there that for premies, the risk from bilirubin poisoning increases with weeks born premature, and that for under 35 week gestation, no amount of bilirubin is considered safe. Apparently, it messes with the neural network.

-- Wed Jul 25, 2018 1:13 pm --

seabreezeblue wrote:Interesting.. no idea if i had jaundice (i'll ask my mother), but my daughter did.

I'll have to take a look into that.

Were you or your daughter born premature? It sounds like it's riskier for premies, esp. born before 35 weeks gestation (more than 5 weeks premature).