Near Sightedness as a Possible Contributing Cause to AS

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wow had no idea a person can be both near- and long-sighted.

Has there been any large study into it to deytermine whether there is any correlation? I dont think anyone is suggesting it causes it, just that it can make the problem worse.

Why dont we stay up during the night and wear nightvision goggles? Then we will see the Nt's better than they can see us and will be a force to be reckoned with. Haha NT now i can watch YOU at my leisure and pull funny faces of disaproval or mock. Who is the freak now huh?

Sensory Deprivation Symptoms
The symptoms of sensory deprivation in animals and many autistic symptoms are similar. Animals confined to a barren environment are excitable and engage in stereotypies, self-injury, hyperactivity, and disturbed social relations (Grandin 1989b; Mason 1960; Harlow and Zimmerman 1959). An animal in a barren environment engages in stereotypies in an attempt to stimulate itself.

Why would a leopard in a concrete cell at the zoo and autism have similarities? From my own experience, I would like to suggest a possible answer. Auditory and tactile input often overwhelmed me. Loud noise hurt my ears. When noise and sensory over stimulation became too intense, I was able to shut off my hearing and retreat into my own world. Possibly the autistic child creates his or her own self-imposed sensory deprivation.

In pulling away, I may not have received stimulation that was required for normal development. Possibly there are secondary central nervous system abnormalities that happen as a result of the autistic child's avoidance of input. The initial sensory processing abnormalities that the child is born with cause the initial avoidance. Autopsy studies indicate that cerebellar abnormalities occur before birth (Bauman 1991, Bauman and Kemper 1994). However, the limbic system which also has abnormalities is not mature until the child is two years old. The possibility of secondary damage to the central nervous system may explain why young children in early intervention education programs have a better prognosis than children who do not receive special treatment.

Animal and human studies show that restriction of sensory input causes the central nervous system to become overly sensitive to stimulation. The effects of early sensory restriction are often long lasting. Placement of a small cup on a person's forearm for one week to block tactile sensations will cause the corresponding area on the opposite arm to become more sensitive (Aftanas and Zubeck 1964). Puppies reared in barren kennels become hyperexcitable, and their brain waves (EEG) still showed signs of over arousal six months after removal from the kennel (Melzack and Burns 1965). The brain waves of autistic children also show signs of high arousal (Hutt et al. 1965). Trimming the whiskers on baby rats will cause the parts of the brain that receive input from the whiskers to become oversensitive (Simon and Land 1987). This abnormality is relatively permanent. The brain areas were still abnormal after the whiskers had grown back.

Perhaps it would be beneficial if autistic babies were gently stroked and "tamed" when they stiffen and pull away. I often wonder if I had received more tactile stimulation as a child, if I would have been less "nervous" as an adult. Handling baby rats produces calmer adults which are more willing to explore a maze (Denenberg et al. 1962; Ehrlich 1959). Tactile stimulation is vital for babies and aids in their development.