Figure 6.

Hypothesized interventions to prevent regression in children with ASD. During the critical period of developing cortical structures for social interactions the risk of stress-induced regression might be reduced through a combination of strategies including a protective environment where exposure to unfamiliar faces is limited and pharmacological interventions to reduce hyperexcitability related to Ca²⁺ signaling by targeting ion channels determined through genetic testing of genes known to be involved in Ca²⁺ signaling among children with a risk phenotype.