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Biggest ever study on causes of Autism underway in U.S
09/Oct/2006: A 5.9 million-dollar national study on the causes of autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, is currently underway in U.S. This is the largest study ever to be undertaken in U.S, on this disorder and will span for a period of five years.
2,700 children and five separate research institutes will be involved in this study, to uncover the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in young children, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Autism affects more than one million Americans and it remains as one of the poorly understood developmental disabilities in this country.
Jose Cordero, CDC assistant surgeon general, said that this study will help scientists to learn more about the characteristics of children with ASDs, factors associated with developmental delay and how the genetics and the environment could affect a child’s development.
Autism is not physiologically obvious in children and only a complete physical and neurological evaluation could help in diagnosing this disorder. The symptoms of this disorder do not appear in children before the age of three, but it can be diagnosed as early as 18 months.
Children suffering from autism display impaired social skills and communication abilities throughout their lives, and their families need to bear a substantial financial and emotional burden in caring for them. Autism Society of America says that the problem of autism has been growing at a rate of 10 to 17 percent a year. CDC estimates that between one child in 500 and one in 166 may be diagnosed with a disease on the autism spectrum.
According to CDC, this study on autism will focus on factors, which may led to autism-type disabilities like early infections in the child or the parents, genetic factors, hormonal imbalances or abnormal hormones in the child and its parents, family history, socioeconomic factors, mother’s reproductive history, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse.
Cordero said that the study will be conducted in six different geographic regions across the country with diverse populations, in order to have samples that more closely represents children with ASDs.
Further Reading
http://www.rx4autism.org/
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