Differences in Frontonasal Anomalies in Children With and Without an Autism
Abstract
Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders can vary by case; however, the core features consist of social and communication deficits, and restrictive or repetitive behaviors. Most research on the etiology of ASD focus on genetic factors and how chromosomal copy number variants (CNVs) affect neurocognitive development. There is much less research on how developmental disturbances could play a role in neurocognitive disorders, such as ASD. Research suggests that due to the synchronous and adjacent development of the frontonasal features and anterior brain, disturbances in one of these pathways affect the other. Frontonasal anomalies such as ear formation, forehead prominence, and eye placement are currently being investigated in the hope to reveal a connection between early physical developments and the diagnosis of neurological disorders. In order to investigate the hypothesis that individuals with ASD are more likely to show a greater number of frontonasal anomalies than their unaffected siblings, data from the Simons Foundation were obtained and analyzed using Spearman correlation in SPSS. The results reveal that frontonasal anomalies were significantly associated with an autism diagnosis (r=0.301; p= 0.003). The results herein support future research to investigate ASD as a consequence to disturbance in embryonic development. Additionally, these findings can lead to a more efficient and accurate diagnosis of ASD if research continues to investigate its exact etiology related to specific embryonic development disturbances. Finally, more accurate explanations of the exact etiology of ASD can lead to improvements in both diagnostic and treatment protocols.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Gesulla Cavanaugh
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-6-2021 12:00 PM
End Date
4-9-2021 12:00 PM
Differences in Frontonasal Anomalies in Children With and Without an Autism
Alvin Sherman Library
Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders can vary by case; however, the core features consist of social and communication deficits, and restrictive or repetitive behaviors. Most research on the etiology of ASD focus on genetic factors and how chromosomal copy number variants (CNVs) affect neurocognitive development. There is much less research on how developmental disturbances could play a role in neurocognitive disorders, such as ASD. Research suggests that due to the synchronous and adjacent development of the frontonasal features and anterior brain, disturbances in one of these pathways affect the other. Frontonasal anomalies such as ear formation, forehead prominence, and eye placement are currently being investigated in the hope to reveal a connection between early physical developments and the diagnosis of neurological disorders. In order to investigate the hypothesis that individuals with ASD are more likely to show a greater number of frontonasal anomalies than their unaffected siblings, data from the Simons Foundation were obtained and analyzed using Spearman correlation in SPSS. The results reveal that frontonasal anomalies were significantly associated with an autism diagnosis (r=0.301; p= 0.003). The results herein support future research to investigate ASD as a consequence to disturbance in embryonic development. Additionally, these findings can lead to a more efficient and accurate diagnosis of ASD if research continues to investigate its exact etiology related to specific embryonic development disturbances. Finally, more accurate explanations of the exact etiology of ASD can lead to improvements in both diagnostic and treatment protocols.
