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The Case of Hellmuth in The Autistic Psychopathy – Suffering from Cushing Syndrome?

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  GLOBAL JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES Abstract Autism spectrum disorders are increasingly linked to an altered endocrine metabolism and it was hypothesized that any disturbances in Hypothalamus-Pituitary adrenal gland axis respectively steroid hormone metabolism is reflected in the habitus of affected autistic individuals. One case described by Hans Asperger [1] was Hellmuth – at the time of description an 11-year-old boy – for whom strong indicators concerning an endocrine pathology can be found. If comparing with Cushing syndrome remarkable similarities can be identified. Weak bones would be in line with a glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis or even rachitis with involvement of thyroid and parathyroid glands. Interestingly, Hellmuth was treated with thyroid and hypothalamus hormones not having substantial effects. He was described having a face with hanging chops and with a small head remembering of a microcephalus, which can be further interpreted as ...
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Autistic Disorders – Was Endocrine Involvement Forecasted?

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  JUNIPER PUBLISHERS - OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES Introduction Individuals diagnosed with an intellectual disability (ID) demonstrate higher rates of challenging behaviors (CB) than do the general population [1-3]. The literature shows that environmental factors, including negative interactions with others, can contribute to CBs [4-6]. In their thematic analysis of 17 articles on the perspectives of consumers with CBs, Griffith, Hutchinson, and Hastings (2013) found that environmental factors such as “imbalances of power, “experiences of restrictive procedures”, and “impersonal attitudes of support staff” were “accumulative stressors of living in a residential placement” that potentially perpetuated CBs (p. 469). The authors described the “Cycle of Challenging Behaviors” (p. 482) where environments containing consumer-staff relationship imbalances potentially triggered individuals to engage in CBs, which lead to restrictive procedures; thes...
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Beyond the Surface of Consumer-Staff Relationships-Juniper Publishers

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JUNIPER PUBLISHERS - OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL & DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES Introduction Individuals diagnosed with an intellectual disability (ID) demonstrate higher rates of challenging behaviors (CB) than do the general population [1-3]. The literature shows that environmental factors, including negative interactions with others, can contribute to CBs [4-6]. In their thematic analysis of 17 articles on the perspectives of consumers with CBs, Griffith, Hutchinson, and Hastings (2013) found that environmental factors such as “imbalances of power, “experiences of restrictive procedures”, and “impersonal attitudes of support staff” were “accumulative stressors of living in a residential placement” that potentially perpetuated CBs (p. 469). The authors described the “Cycle of Challenging Behaviors” (p. 482) where environments containing consumer-staff relationship imbalances potentially triggered individuals to engage in CBs, which lead to restrictive pr...
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