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Mboli Bolobiongo
Deby Jizi
Uwrit 1103
30 November 2015

Is there a prenatal screening that can predict early risk factors of Autism Spectrum
Disorder? Ive never really paid much attention to Autism Spectrum Disorder, also known as
ASD. It wasnt until the doctor announced to my sister and I that Jacob; my sisters son, was
diagnosed with ASD. After the diagnosis I became very intrigued to gain knowledge and a good
understanding on what exactly the disorder was. I went online to do some research on what kind
of symptoms came along with the disorder. That was when all the pieces to the puzzle finally
started coming together. I discovered how my family and I were oblivious of the symptoms that
Jacob exposed.
Jacob started talking when he was about the age of one, by the time he became one and
half years old he stopped talking. When he reached the age of two years old he only
communicated with us was by pointing and leading us to what he wanted, that was one of his
early signs. We thought that Jacob not communicating verbally with us was normal and that
eventually he will start talking again. It was around the time he was two and a half when we
started worrying, wondering what could be wrong with him. Other children around that was his
age were more advanced with talking and interacting with people. Finally, my sister took the
decision to take him to the doctor, they ran scans and diagnosed him with ASD. It never crossed
my mind to think that this disorder, or any other disorder would get in the family. I choose this
inquiry research question because I wanted to discover if there was a way to predetermine ASD

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risk factors with tests and screening before birth of a fetus. If there is a way, I wanted to gain
knowledge and understand the methods that are used to prevent the disorder from fully
developing.
Over two decades ago, ASD was considered a rare disorder. It effected a tiny part of the
U.S population. It was around the late 1980s when an increase trend started catching medical
professionals and doctors attention. In an article written by senator John L Sampson, he
indicated that In December 2009, the U.S Center of Disease Control stated that the number of
children afflicted with ASD was in 1 in 110 8 year olds. The number of children affected with
ASD has now increased to 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys. Today ASD is now common than
pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. It is now a major health and mental challenge for
people.
Many researchers have found that ASD is linked to abnormality with the structures of a
childs brain. There ongoing studies that linked the brain abnormalities to clusters of unstable
genes that interfere with the brain development. There was a study done on 1105 low-birthweight infants who had a cranial ultrasound done a few days after birth. The participants were
screened for ASD when they were 16 years old and again screened at the age of 21. The results
showed that they were 14 positive diagnoses of ASD. Researchers found through the ultrasound
screening that the newborns had enlarged ventricles; cavities in the brain that store spinal fluids.
The ventricular enlargement had to do with a loss of a brain tissue called white matter; which
interferes with the brain development that causes children to develop ASD.
A study that was done on eleven childrens brain with ASD and an equal number of
children without ASD. The results showed that the children without ASD had six distinct layers,
each made of a specific type of cell. However, in the children with ASD the researchers found

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patches in which specific cells in specific layers seem to be missing. The researchers discovered
that the Autistic childrens brain was a disorganized collection of brain cells. Within the study,
researchers were able to determine that the disorganized cortex had different effects on the brain
depending on where they occurred. Dr. Stanley Nelson; a geneticist at UCLA, stated that the
findings of the study added to the existing evidence that the Autistic brain abnormality starts to
develop when the child is an embryo or a fetus.
While researching on my inquiry question, I obtained a greater understanding on ways
researchers have been have been working to find techniques that will help determine early risk
factors of ASD. Being able to discover these techniques is vital in leading researchers and
doctors to obtain better strategies on ASD treatments. An important question that came about
during my research was if there was a tactic that doctors could operate that would reorganize the
cells and layers that were disorganized in children with ASD?
I received significant answers to my research question with the studies that were done on
infants that had a cranial ultrasound and the brain disorganization. The information I gained on
the cranial ultrasound study gave me insight on how performing a cranial screening on infants
just after birth can help determine ASD risk factors. Brain disorganization that was discovered on
the study helped me get a clear understanding on what researchers and doctors have determine to
be major causes of ASD. Although I did not get my research question of discovering if there was
a way to preform prenatal brain screening answered. I did gain more knowledge on how
researchers and doctors are working hard to develop a variety of strategies of determining early
brain symptoms that develop ASD.
My inquiry question led me to discover and open my eyes to causes of ASD, and how it
influences the people with the disorder. When I first started working on my research, I thought

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that ASD had to a lot to deal with genetic mutation and a childs environment. However, I came
to understand that the disorder had a lot to do with the development of the brain. Knowing that
newborns could get cranial ultrasounds hat could possibly predetermine ASD makes me a
happier person. Ive gain more hope that doctors are maybe getting closer to discovering a
treatment that could cure the disorder. The findings of my research my not help them now, but,
maybe in the near future. They now have knowledge that could help them with perhaps getting
their infants cranial screenings for ASD risk factors.
My curiosity still remains on discovering a way that doctors could get an in-depth study
of the brain of a fetus while its still developing. If I was to continue on my inquiry, my curiosity
would probably lead me to discovering if doctors and researchers could find a way of fixing or
adjusting the brain abnormalities that occurs with ASD.
I choose to research on ASD because it had a special place in my heart; having to deal
with my nephew who is diagnosed with the disorder. My aspired career of being an OB/GYN
involves specializing with pregnancies. While I will be dealing a fetus, I wanted to know if there
could be some methods that doctors could distinguish any disorder risk factors while the fetus is
still developing. A part of my occupation will involve giving ultrasounds of fetus, could there be
a tactic of getting an in-depth study of the brain while I perform the ultrasound? My inquiry
would help me as doctor in aiding to determine early ASD development, and maybe one day
finding a cure for the disorder.

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Citation:
McGlashen, Andy. "Ultrasound at Birth Can Predict Autism Risk." Futurity- Health and
Medicine. 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Hamilton, John. "Brain Changes Suggest Autism Starts in The Womb." NPR. 26 Mar.
2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/sections/healthshots/2014/03/26/294446735/brain-changes-suggest-autism-starts-in-the-womb>.
Sampson, John. "Autism: A Growing Problem That Needs More Attention." Canarsie
Courier. Canarsie Courier Production, Inc, 8 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.canarsiecourier.com/news/2010-0408/Guest_Column/Autism_A_Growing_Problem_That_Needs_More_Attention.html>.
Ewen, Callaway. "Autism Symptoms Seen In Babies." Nature. Nature Publishing Group,
6 Nov. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nature.com/news/autism-symptoms-seen-inbabies-1.14117>.
Zerbib, Maria. "3 Studies That Show the Benefits of an Early Diagnosis of Autism."
Friendship Circle. 6 May 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/05/06/3-studies-that-show-the-benefits-of-an-earlydiagnosis-of-autism/>.
Fombonne, Eric. "Is There an Epidemic of Autism?" American Academy of Pediatrics.
2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.