Autism
Here
is some interesting information about children who present with autistic behaviors:
"Children
with autism can't read the signals or facial expressions of emotions in a normal
way. This tells us the brain likely emerges very early and involves very basic
brain systems." --Geraldine Dawson, PhD
This points
to the importance of intervention, such as behavioral interventions that reward
children for paying attention to proper facial cues.
Normally
developing infants will notice their mothers' facial expressions and emotions
in the first six months of life. They are able to recognize emotions from facial
expressions by age seven months.
Individuals
with autism exhibit increased brain volume in the area that is responsible for
encoding emotions compared to boys and girls who are developing normally.
Enlargement
of this area of the brain in general cannot be used as a diagnostic tool to
determine if a child has autism.
Information
adapted from:
Advance
for Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists, April 29, 2002. p. 18.
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