Can Autism be prevented in the womb? (Part I)

women’s studies presentation and need support to help me learn.

Since graduating from college, besides running an online business, I also work at an autistic children’s therapy clinic in Bekasi (West Java), Indonesia. As a Pure Physics graduate, it might be unfortunate if I have to work in a clinic. To be honest, I was initially disappointed when working at this clinic. The knowledge that I learned during college was only used a little bit, such as graph analysis and statistics. Until finally this job required me to learn again, learning to understand the psychology of autistic children and the psychology of their parents. In addition, without realizing it, I learned parenting skills. Until finally this job made me realize how important it is to learn parenting before getting married and having a family.
If you hear the word “Autistic” what will come to your mind? Would you say that autism is the same as idiot? or you might call it ADHD (Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder)?
You need to know, what we know “Autism” is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which is very different from ADHD. Typical symptoms in children with ASD are avoidance of eye contact and no interest in playing or interacting with others. Their speech and language skills develop very slowly or not at all. They may be preoccupied with the same routine, have unnatural preoccupation with food textures or colors, make repetitive movements, especially with their hands and fingers.
So is there any way to prevent autism in the womb?
The cause of autism in the fetus can be done by pregnant women. The signs of an autistic baby in the womb can actually be detected just like the detection of a baby with Down syndrome.
Some mothers who have autistic children that I have met, basically all of them explained that this detection can be done by screening via ultrasound. The results of the ultrasound can be seen from the amount of amniotic fluid. In a fetus aged 11-13 weeks, normally the amount of amniotic fluid behind the fetal neck is less than 3.5 milliliters (ml). If the amount of fluid is more than 3.5 ml, it is suspected that the fetus has Down syndrome.
The next step to ensure the accuracy of the diagnosis up to 100 percent is to conduct an amniocentesis examination by taking a small sample of the mother’s amniotic fluid, or chromosome examination through Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) by taking a small amount of placental tissue.
This method is usually done abroad (read: outside Indonesia), but the impact tends to be negative. According to an international journal from Enviromental Research and Public Healt, screening and amniocentesis testing in Taiwan actually increased abortion decisions among mothers whose fetuses were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Parents need to be mentally prepared in this case. Once a mother-to-be knows that her child has Down syndrome or autism, what is the next step? The fetus is a creation of God that cannot be corrected by humans.
If it has been diagnosed with Down syndrome, then what is born later is a Down syndrome baby. If it has been diagnosed with autism, then what is born will be an autistic baby.
Early detection of fetal down syndrome, early detection of the causes of autism in the fetus, and fetuses with other genetic disorders since the womb should aim to mentally prepare parents for the birth of their babies.
If it has been caught in the womb, parents can be better prepared to accept the presence of their child. They are better prepared to provide treatment and early intervention after birth, so that their children can grow up cognitively and socially normal.
Autistic children, for example, can be cured, although it takes longer than normal children. This is what the mothers I met at the clinic where I work did.
Because it is very late at night, maybe I will continue this article in part 2 tomorrow. I hope this article is useful for all of us.
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