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A New Definition For: AUTISM!!! Autism: A disorder characterized by the inability to subconsciously integrate and relay to/from the central and peripheral nervous system all sensory information as it related to sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, resulting in the need to consciously integrate all sensory information in order to make sense of one’s world. This disorder was further characterized by a magnified and increasingly specialized communication within specific areas of the brain resulting in the use of alternative sensory information being required to accomplish specific tasks (i.e, speech production accomplished via motor or olfactory input as opposed to being produced via visual and auditory input). This magnification within one area of the brain could be related to either functionality or dysfunctionality within that area. Those areas that were functional within a specific part of the brain could be very functional. Those areas that were dysfunctional within a specific part of the brain could be, potentially, extremely dysfunctional. Due to the inability of the brain to integrate information throughout its various regions, this disorder impacted all aspects of life: behavioral, social, emotional, and sensory. The inability to properly integrate sensory information by these persons resulted in the characteristic withdrawal into one’ s own world since with a lack of understanding of sensory information there was an inherent inability to communicate properly with others until the “code” to sensory information had been broken. As such, the autistic person’s primary focus in life, was on breaking the code to seemingly incomprehensible sensory data, resulting in a wide repertoire of coping mechanisms being used in order to deal with daily life. This disorder was also characterized by numerous digestive and immune system failures as well. Given the inability to integrate sensory information, there was in all likelihood, possibly damage, also, to the systems/structures involved in capturing sensory, integrating and relaying sensory information as well and as such, it was suspected this disorder impacted perhaps most specifically, the corpus collosum, the thalamus, the pons, and the parietal lobe although all areas of the brain and their functioning were clearly impacted! I had surely given parents, researchers, behaviorists, neurologists, and those in government and the pharmaceutical industry a great deal to think about. I knew many would have preferred I not raise any of these issues, yet, my concern, truly, was for the safety and well being of not only autistic children, but for all children – and that, I hoped, even those in government and the pharmaceutical industry could understand. Having presented these materials, I now turned my attention to what I saw as the “next steps” for parents and society overall! |
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