Autism is such a complex and variable condition that it is necessary to encompass a whole spectrum of conditions to try to understand it.
Author: Dr. Fabiano de Abreu Agrela Rodrigues
Autism is such a complex and variable condition that it is necessary to encompass a whole spectrum of conditions to try to understand it. But despite this, science has increasingly better understood how it occurs and affects individuals, which is why diagnostic methods and warning signs could be better defined.
Among the various characteristics that can help identify an individual with autism, there are the most traditional ones such as hypersensitivity to noise, difficulty communicating, repetition of words, among others. But for a more accurate and reliable diagnosis, there are also other parameters, still little known to the general public, that can also alert to the condition: Facial features.
Facial features can vary greatly from person to person, but, in general, we can have a certain pattern, something that can present some differences in people with autism.
Certain facial features allow for guidance towards autism, such as a shorter philtrum than the average for neurotypical people – the region located between the nose and upper lip, upper face, wider eyes and mouth. Despite offering an additional parameter for diagnosing autism, these traits cannot be used as the only source of analysis.
But after all, why do people with autism have structural differences in their faces? What is the relationship between these characteristics and their behaviors? One of the strongest theories to answer these questions is based on the development of the fetus during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, the development of the brain and face occurs at the same time, in a process with strong interactions, which can cause changes in the brain to also influence the face. However, genetics can also play an important role in this process, as studies have already identified genes related to autism that also impact craniofacial development, generating yet another connection between the development of the two.
With this, we can already have a good idea of the reasons and consequences of this type of change in the facial structure of people with autism, but more information is still needed about how this process occurs and the relationship between autism and facial characteristics, helping to understand the disorder more and more.
About the author of the study: Dr. Fabiano de Abreu Agrela Post PhD in Neuroscience and biologist member of the main scientific societies such as SFN – Society for Neuroscience in the United States, Sigma XI, scientific society where members need to be invited with more than 200 Nobel Prizes and the RSB – Royal Society of Biology, the largest biology society based in the United Kingdom. He is a member of 10 high IQ societies, including Mensa, Intertel, ISPE, Triple Nine Society, Intertel Brazil coordinator, international director of the IIS Society and president of ISI and ePiq Society, all restricted societies for people with high IQ proven in tests supervised. He created the first genetic report that estimates IQ scores through DNA testing and the GIP project – Genetic Intelligence Project with genetic and psychological studies on high IQ with volunteers. Author of more than 50 studies on intelligence, he has volunteered in supervised IQ tests, genetic intelligence tests and neuroimaging studies as he has achieved the maximum score on more than one IQ test in more than one country.
