Browsing by Subject "sosiaalisen käyttäytymisen puutteet"

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder where the core symptoms include deficits in social interaction and communication. These deficits significantly restrict the functioning and adaptation of people with ASD. The aim of this review is to examine explanation models of social behavior deficits and evaluate these models on the grounds of research results. The levels of explanations that are included are developmental, neurobiological and genetic. First marks of deviant social behavior appear in the early stages of development. According to the social motivation hypothesis, children with ASD do not experience social stimuli as rewarding and are not motivated or oriented to attend or respond. This leads to cascade of negative consequences in social development. Research findings of ASD people suggest that potential causes for deviant reactions to social stimuli locate in mesocorticolimbic reward system functions and dopamine regulation. There are several structural and functional abnormalities in these systems but the overall understanding of their influences on social behavior deficits is lacking. A strong genetic component is present in ASD, hundreds of risk genes have been identified in studies. Also, environmental factors through epigenetic mechanisms interact with risk genes and have a significant role in ASD and patients’ individual symptoms. Recent research has produced explanation models, that combine several levels of deviant neurobiological mechanisms behind the symptoms. As the research results cumulate, it is possible to gain a larger picture of these mechanisms and as the interaction between environment and genes is better understood, it is possible to develop well-targeted and effective rehabilitation methods.