Although there are tests that can detect the abnormalities in DNA of those with autism spectrum disorder these tests are not completely accurate. Today when expecting parents request genetic testing to determine their child’s risk for autism the tests used consist of Karyotyping, fragile X testing, and chromosomal microarray (CMA) testing. Karyotyping examines a sample of cells for abnormalities. Fragile X testing looks for the fragile X syndrome, which is the leading genetic cause of autism. CMA examines the entire genome, which allows for testers to home in on tiny variations in DNA sequences. While none of these tests have provided 100% correctness, CMA testing has shown better accuracy than the other tests.
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that affects the brain’s development of social and communication skills. All the causes of ASDs are unknown but some environmental, biological and genetic factors have been associated with the disorder. Because children with siblings or parents are at a higher risk of also having an ASD it is clear that there is some sort of genetic connection. Fragile X syndrome is the leading genetic cause of autism spectrum syndrome. It is important to remember that not all children with ASD have these factors contributing to their disorder and that there are still a lot of questions needed to be answered about diagnostics, causes, treatments, and cures.
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