{"id":18149,"date":"2017-03-31T08:45:33","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T13:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lern.org\/?post_type=article&p=10137"},"modified":"2021-08-02T12:22:08","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T17:22:08","slug":"is-autism-the-new-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lern.com\/lerntest\/is-autism-the-new-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Autism the new normal?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"autism,<\/a>\u201cThere is a new conversation among neuroscientists that the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be an evolutionary change of the human mind,\u201d noted Julie Coates in a pioneering new presentation on Students with ASD at LERN\u2019s Faculty Development Conference this spring.
\nOne in 68 students is now on the spectrum, according to the Center for Disease Control. Coates says students with ASD are now \u201cin our classrooms forever.\u201d
\nIn surveying the attendees, only about half of the participants indicated they have encountered a student on the spectrum in their classes. Coates responded that the other half of faculty participants almost positively had one or more students on the spectrum in their classes as well, the teachers just did not recognize the characteristics of ASD students.
\nThe ASD Advantage
\n<\/strong>Coates noted the research indicating that ASD is polynomic, meaning many genes change. And autism is not self-selected out by the gene pool. Instead, humans with ASD survive and have positive traits.
\nASD may be the new normal because the new environment of the digital age gives an advantage to a number of abilities of people on the spectrum, such as greater visual acuity, ability to think in multiple dimensions, greater spatial ability, bottom-up thinking, and frequently an ability to see patterns, such as in data analysis.
\nPeople with ASD are often highly valued in technology and related industries.
\nPossible Causes
\n<\/strong>There is no one clear cause of autism, noted Coates. Experts think that autism is either increasing in the population, that it is being detected more readily now than in the past, or both.
\nVaccinations are clearly not related to ASD, Coates said. Possible causes could be:<\/p>\n