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Mboli Bolobiongo
Deby Jizi
Uwrit 1103
9 December 2015
Inquiry Research Essay
Over two decades ago, Autism Spectrum Disorder, also known as ASD, was considered a
rare disorder. It effected a tiny part of the U.S population. It was around the late 1980s when an
increase trend started catching medical professionals and doctors attention. In an article written
by Senator John L Sampson, he indicated that In December 2009, the U.S Center of Disease
Control stated that the number of children afflicted with ASD was in 1 in 110 8 year olds. The
number of children diagnosed with ASD has now increased to 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys.
Today ASD is more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. It is now a
major health and mental challenge for people. (Sampson, Autism: A Growing Problem That
Needs More Attention). My inquiry research question was: Is there a prenatal screening that can
predict early risk factors of Autism Spectrum Disorder? I chose this question because I wanted
to discover if there was a way to predetermine ASD risk factors with tests and screening before
the birth of a fetus. If there is a way, I wanted to gain knowledge and understand the methods
that are used to prevent the disorder from fully developing.
In retrospect, I have never really paid much attention to ASD. It was not until the doctor
announced to my sister and I that Jacob, my sisters son, was diagnosed with ASD. After the
diagnosis I became very intrigued to gain knowledge and a good understanding on what exactly
the disorder was. I went online to do some research on what kind of symptoms came along with

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the disorder. That was when all the pieces to the puzzle finally started coming together. I
discovered how my family and I were oblivious to the symptoms that Jacob displayed.
Jacob started talking when he was about the age of one, but by the time he became one
and half years old he stopped talking. When he reached the age of two years old he only
communicated with us by pointing and leading us to what he wanted. We did not realize that was
one of his early signs of Autism. We thought that Jacob not communicating verbally was normal
and that eventually he would start talking again. It was around the time he was two and a half
when we started worrying, wondering what could be wrong with him. Other children around that
age were more advanced with talking and interacting with people. Finally, my sister made the
decision to take him to the doctor, where they ran scans and diagnosed him with ASD. It never
crossed my mind to think that this disorder, or any other disorder, would get in the family.
Many researchers have found that ASD is linked to abnormality within the structures of a
childs brain. There are ongoing studies that link the brain abnormalities to clusters of unstable
genes that interfere with the brain development. There was a study done on 1105 low-birthweight infants who had a cranial ultrasound done a few days after birth. The participants were
screened for ASD when they were 16 years old and again screened at the age of 21. The results
showed that they were 14 positive diagnoses of ASD. Researchers found through the ultrasound
screening that the newborns had enlarged ventricles; cavities in the brain that store spinal fluids.
The ventricular enlargement had to do with a loss of a brain tissue called white matter; which
interferes with the brain development that causes children to develop ASD (McGlashen,
"Ultrasound at Birth Can Predict Autism Risk.").
A study that was done on eleven childrens brain with ASD and an equal number of
children without ASD. The results showed that the children without ASD had six distinct layers,

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each made of a specific type of cell. However, in the children with ASD the researchers found
patches in which specific cells in specific layers seem to be missing. The researchers discovered
that the Autistic childrens brain was a disorganized collection of brain cells. Within the study,
researchers were able to determine that the disorganized cortex had different effects on the brain
depending on where they occurred. Dr. Stanley Nelson; a geneticist at UCLA, stated that the
findings of the study added to the existing evidence that the Autistic brain abnormality starts to
develop when the child is an embryo or a fetus. (Hamilton, "Brain Changes Suggest Autism
Starts in the Womb.")
After allowing my curiosity to lead my path, I obtained a greater understanding on ways
researchers have been working to find techniques that will help determine early risk factors of
ASD. Being able to discover these techniques is vital in leading researchers and doctors to obtain
better strategies on ASD treatments. An important question that came about during my research
was, if there was a tactic that doctors could use to reorganize the cells and layers in the brain that
were disorganized? The information I gained on the Cranial Ultrasound and Brain Changes
study gave me insight on how performing a cranial screening on infants just after birth can help
determine ASD risk factors. Also, I got a clear understanding on what researchers and doctors
have determine to be a major causes of ASD. Although, I did not get my research question
answered. I did gain significant understanding on how researchers are at work to develop a
variety of strategies to determine early brain symptoms that develop ASD. My inquiry question
led me to discover and open my eyes to causes of ASD, and how the disorder influences the
person diagnosed.

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Looking back, when I began working on my research, I thought ASD had a lot to do with
a childs environment. However, I came to understand that the disorder is influence with the
development of the brain. Knowing that newborns could get cranial ultrasounds that could
possibly predetermine ASD gave me hope, that one day my inquiry question will get answered. I
believe that researchers and doctors will be able to predetermine ASD while a fetus is
developing. My curiosity still remains on discovering a way that doctors could get an in-depth
study of the brain of a fetus while its still growing. If I was to continue on my inquiry, my
curiosity would probably lead me to discovering if doctors and researchers could find a way of
fixing or adjusting the brain abnormalities that occurs with ASD.
I chose to do my research on ASD because it had a special place in my heart; having to
deal with my nephew who is diagnosed with the disorder. My aspired career of being an
OB/GYN involves specializing with pregnancies. My career involves observing fetuses as they
grow. I wanted to know if there is methods that doctors could distinguish any risk factors for a
disorder, while a fetus is developing. A part of my occupation will consist of giving ultrasounds
of fetuses, maybe I could take part of discovering a tactic to get an in depth study of the brain
while I perform ultrasounds. My inquiry would help me as a doctor in aiding to determine early
ASD development, and maybe one day finding a cure for the disorder.

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Works Cited
McGlashen, Andy. "Ultrasound at Birth Can Predict Autism Risk." Futurity- Health and
Medicine. 06 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Hamilton, John. "Brain Changes Suggest Autism Starts in The Womb." NPR. 26 Mar.
2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2015
Sampson, John. "Autism: A Growing Problem That Needs More Attention." Canarsie
Courier. Canarsie Courier Production, Inc, 8 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
Ewen, Callaway. "Autism Symptoms Seen In Babies." Nature. Nature Publishing Group,
6 Nov. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2015.
Zerbib, Maria. "3 Studies That Show the Benefits of an Early Diagnosis of Autism."
Friendship Circle. 6 May 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Fombonne, Eric. "Is There an Epidemic of Autism?" American Academy of Pediatrics.
2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.