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Where did I read about ASD and rapid brain growth,

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Im starting to think I imagined it. I read somewhere yesterday that children with either Asperger's or ASD often have a period of rapid brain growth as a toddler, and often at this age their head appears somewhat larger than you'd expect. Sometimes the central suture becomes prominent, resulting in a ridge down the centre of the forehead.

 

Now I cant find it as I wanted to look at the reference.

 

Any ideas?

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Well, I don't know if this is where you read it, but the New Scientist has an article about this research by Courchesne: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3948...ly-warning.html

 

This is a brief overview of the research, but does not reference it properly :shame:http://pediatrics.about.com/b/2003/07/16/h...-and-autism.htm

 

And this one also does not really make it clear who did this research, but explains the findings quite well: http://www.cranialsubluxations.com/medical...dict_autism.htm

Edited by Tally

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Hmmm...

very small study group, but interesting stuff. I found the last link really interesting for two reasons - firstly the alternative explanations for rapid head enlargement and encephalitis, as this has always been historically linked to autism (and, coincidentally, to mumps), and secondly the challenge regarding post-natal influences, because the study (according to that link) does contain some huge inconsistencies in that regard.

What seems odd though, is that they are reporting this as a 'new' line of research when elsewhere it states that 'abnormal head size' was a known factor for a higher than average percentage of autistic people... sort of begs the question - 'well Der - why didn't anyone look into this before!' :lol:

 

:D

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This has been around for years. When Bill was 9 weeks old, over 14 years ago, he had an MRI scan. He was under the care of a paediatrician and paediatric neurologist. They were looking for brain damage (long story). They didn't find brain damage, but they pointed out that that the frontal lobe was very large with the presence of extra fluid (not enough to raise concern but more than is typically found). They told me that this could be indicative of a neurological disorder, but that it had also been found during research to be an anomally found in high brow (literally!) academics and scientists!!

 

The paed he was on under at the time has kept in touch with me (informally) and was recently contacted by the paed who saw him as part of the statutory assessment. They are both interested in the findings of his MRI scan back in 1994 and if there is a link between that and his subsequent dx of ASD.

 

He always has had, and still has, a big head. When he was a toddler he looked like Noddy! :lol:

 

Various universities have done research involving MRI scan over the years. Glasgow is one that springs to mind, and the other is Brunel University in London. I used to have some research papers but not sure what I did with them.

 

Flora

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Hmm.....well,my luverly son DOES have a big head, but he's ALWAYS had a big head, from birth(OWWW!!!OWW!!!) onwards....... Nobody seemed concerned about it, right enough, but he looked like a little lollipop when he stated sitting up!! :P

 

I've always said he was a sweetie!!

 

*groooooaan!!*

 

Esther x

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Hi

 

May or may not be connected, but my son has plagiocephaly - his head is mishapen (not caused by the way he slept as a baby). He's 6 now and although is less noticeable, when he's had a haircut it's easy to spot.

 

Caroline.

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Thank you for the references. Unfortunately, it wasnt one of those. They all mention macrocephaly and I found a reference to that in my Attwood book, some research by Gillberg.

 

No one ever commented on our little man having a large head, but we just thought it was! It is still noticable when we buy hats, but its not excessively obvious really. It looked more obvious when he had no hair.

 

I was particularly looking for the bit that I read about them sometimes having a ridge down the centre of the forehead which was related to rapid head growth. I just noticed this on DGS when I washed his hair and combed his fringe aside. He has quite long hair (refuses cutting) so this tends to make things like this less obvious.

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....i had forgotton 'til i read your thread, when we went to see a pead. last year he measured C's head and didn't really say why but then went on to say that C almost definately had AS (he has since been diagnosed) although I assume that was mostly down to the history of his behaviour. I remember at the time wondering why he had meausred his head but didn't think to ask! :oops:

 

Cat

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As with Caroline my son with AS has plagiocephaly.

I read also, after i heard the Consultant and her Registrar mention they had noticed the size of my younger sons head (recently dx ASD) and measured it. Apparently it can be an indicator for children with siblings on the spectrum (if they are also suspected as having ASD). And he does have a big head, and flattish at the back. Hadn't heard of that before.

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I posted about this about a year ago, after I'd been to see a Tony Attwood talk.

C was born with a normal-sized head, but by 8wks, he was referred to a paed to investigate his abnormally large head circumference. By 4 months, his measurements were off the scale and he had developed a marked head-lag due to being unable to hold up his head as a result of the sheer size and weight of it. By 2yrs, his head circumference was bigger than mine. He also still has a very noticeable ridge down the centre.

R had to come out the "emergency exit" as his head was too big to come out the usual route at birth. His head circumference has always been slightly smaller than C's, but he also has plagiocephaly (flat at the back on the right-hand side). Although R isn't dx as being on the spectrum, as he gets older, his AS traits are becoming much more apparent (as he spends less time with his totally NT twin sister, who has always been his role-model for social behaviour).

Interestingly, R's EEG (he has epilepsy) showed abnormal activity focalised in the right parietal lobe (where his head is flat). His MRI also showed structural abnormalities of the right frontal lobe (which ties in with Flora's post). Also, we have noticed that after a bad night of seizures, R's behaviour is distinctly more ASD-ish, and he has long episodes of echolalia and palalalia the following day.

I have no doubt, with regard to my two boys, that head size, shape, and brain structure are all related to AS and ASD traits.

Edited by krystaltps

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my first memory of something being not quite right with ds1 was when the h v measured his head and said what a big head he had he was 18m, dx 5years now 17.

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