White Matter in Brain Develops Differently in Children with Autism

Published December 6, 2013 in Simons Foundation Autism Research Institute

A study in Brain Research shows a difference in how auditory nerve fibers develop may explain why children with autism process sounds a fraction of a second more slowly than typically developing children do. It is known that the brains response to sound speeds up as children age. This boost in speed is known to be accompanied by the maturation of white matter the nerve fibers that connect brain regions. It was once believed that in children with autism, the white matter didn’t mature with age like it does in typically-developing children. However, it is now believed that it does mature with age in children with autism, just in a different way.

http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/in-brief/2013/cognition-and-behavior-white-matter-shows-delays-in-autism

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