22. May Not Cry if In Pain
Previously, individuals with developmental disabilities were excluded from pain research, but a recent (unpublished) study published this month showed convincingly that persons with autism had altered brain responses when a severely hot object is pushed against their skin. The brain’s response to pain is divided into three stages: early, moderate, and late. A small piece of metal was taped to the skin and heated to the point of generating discomfort/pain but not harm in an experiment involving 17 persons with autism and 16 people without. People without autism continued to respond to the discomfort 10 seconds after it had ended, whereas people with autism exhibited no brain response after ten seconds. This study is significant because it informs parents and professionals that there are physiological reasons for an autistic person’s failure to articulate their states, in addition to the restricted verbal skills that many people with autism have.
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