The Gut-Brain Axis and Autism

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurological dysfunctions that share certain behavioral and developmental features in common with each other. ASD is an umbrella term that includes Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, Asperger’s disease, and bipolar disorders. The DSM-5 places the child who has ASD into two different behavioral categories. The first is that the child has difficulty in both social interaction and social communication and the second is that the child has repetitive behaviors and repetitive interests. Today, autism is the most prevalent childhood disorders in the world. As of the year 2016, epidemiologists suggest that ASD have a dramatic increase over the past decade and may affect up to two percent of children born.