| Comparison of symptoms of mercury poisoning and autism - page 1 of 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercury Poisoning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Autism | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Psychiatric Disturbances | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Social deficits, social withdrawal, shyness Depressive traits, mood swings; flat affect Anxiety Schizophrenic & OCD traits; repetitiveness Lack of eye contact, avoids conversation Irrational fears Irritability, aggression, temper tantrums Impaired face recognition |
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| Social deficits, shyness, social withdrawal Depression, mood swings; mask face Anxiety Schizoid tendencies, OCD traits Lacks eye contact, hesitant to engage others Irrational fears Irritability, aggression, temper tantrums Impaired face recognition |
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| Speech, Language & Hearing Deficits | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Loss of speech, failure to develop speech Dysarthria; articulation problems Speech comprehension deficits Verbalizing & word retrieval problems Sound sensitivity Hearing loss; deafness in very high doses Poor performance on language IQ tests |
Delayed language, failure to develop speech Dysarthria; articulation problems Speech comprehension deficits Echolalia; word use & pragmatic errors Sound sensitivity Mild to profound hearing loss Poor performance on verbal IQ tests |
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| Sensory Abnormalities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abnormal sensation in mouth & extremities Sound sensitivity Abnormal touch sensations; touch aversion Vestibular abnormalities Motor Disorders Involuntary jerking movements - arm flapping, ankle jerks, myoclonal jerks, choreiform movements, circling, rocking Deficits in eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; intention tremors Gait impairment; ataxia - from incoordination & clumsiness to inability to walk, stand, or sit; loss of motor control Difficulty in chewing or swallowing Unusual postures; toe walking |
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| Abnormal sensation in mouth & extremities Sound sensitivity Abnormal touch sensations; touch aversion Vestibular abnormalities Stereotyped movements - arm flapping, jumping, circling, spinning, rocking; myoclonal jerks; choreiform movements Poor eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; problems with intentional movements Abnormal gait and posture, clumsiness and incoordination; difficulties sitting, lying, crawling, and walking Difficulty chewing or swallowing Unusual postures; toe walking |
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| Source: Autism - A Unique Type of Mercury Poisoning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||