Autism>Diagnosis>Early Brain & Psychological Development

Early Brain and Psychological Development

As recent infant-research demonstrates, the brain's plasticity, i.e. its potential for growth and change, is immense during the first 2 years of life. This means that the earlier intervention begins, the greater the chances to redirect deviant development onto a more healthy or normal course.

International research (from France, Germany, Israel, Italy, UK, USA) also indicates that autism only develop in the first 2 years of life and also, that it can only be treated successfully during this time (Perner 1989). Whatever other factors may be involved in causation, autistic symptoms arise as a result of neurological maturation processes in early brain and psychological development and follow the 'use it or lose it' rule. These fundamental early processes are 'use-dependent' on the psycho-biochemical regulation in a nurturing and stimulating environment (Balbernie 2002), i.e. on sensitive and attuned interactions with mother/main carer(s) (Sunderland 2002): 'where parents are motivated, we achieve unexpectedly good results' (Alonim 2002).

In Normandy in France health-professionals aim to diagnose 'babies at risk of autism' or 'babies with relationship problems' before they are 12 months old, in order to be able to then help the parents to better support their child's development. Early pre-autistic symptoms are the absence of an anticipatory attitude, e.g. when the baby does not reach out his arms when mum is about to pick him up, lack of postural adjustment, e.g. when the child is like a bag of sand or stiff like a board when held, rather than moulding himself to the mother's body.

Other early warning signs are communication problems, especially a lack of reciprocity (Brazelton) and primary intersubjectivity (Trevarthen), i.e. an absence of social smiling, of the ordinary early turn-taking with smiling, eye-contact, vocalisations, touch and imitation, the absence of babbling, of vocal turn-taking and other avoidance of emotional sharing with others. Instead one may find the child being unusually passive and unresponsive, or clingy, or screaming unconsolably, or staring blankly for long periods of time, as well as an increased interest in sensory activities of touch or repetitive and stereotypical behaviours, such as rocking, hand-waving, rubbing himself. There can also be eating and feeding problems such as refusing to feed or be fed, holding food in mouth for long periods of time, ruminating/ sucking on regurgitated milk/ food.

Early Detection in Normandy:

Early Mental Funtioning Map (downloadable PDF)

This tree has adapted to the early 'problems' which it encountered when young, and the obstructions have grown into its 'hardware'. Had someone removed the wire, that was in the way of its natural growth, this tree would have grown up straight. Without such 'early intervention' this tree had adapted to its environment and developed 'secondary symptoms'. But it is still a good tree. It grows, has green leaves and flowers in spring and fruit in the autumn...