Causes and Treatments for Various Phenotypes Among Autistic Individuals

This paper surveys genetic and non-genetic causes and emerging treatments for individuals with autism with challenges including stress, social, functional, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Genetic treatments consist of methods to replace and edit DNA, along with reducing translation of mRNA that may have mutations, which would encode defective proteins. A key challenge with genetic treatments is finding a dosage amount that is not toxic to patients. Non-genetic treatments consist mainly of behavioral therapies and medications. Although these treatments can help to improve communication and decrease stress for some individuals, the medications may have some side effects, and improved behavior from behavioral therapies is not guaranteed, which would not always make these treatments excellent options. This paper also includes concerns about treatments including treatment delivery, ethical concerns about a certain behavioral therapy, treatment progressions in the long-term, treatments for coexisting conditions, and access and affordability of treatments. This paper concludes with an ethical discussion about genetic treatments using an Islamic framework.