Autism: The great modern health concern

In February 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their ADDM autism report, which looked at a sample of eight year olds in 2000 and 2002. This report found that autism is increasing, with one in every 150 American children and almost one in 94 boys having the disability.

Pediatricians recommend that all toddlers get screened for autism; the recommendation based on the fact that, for years, studies have shown that the disorder can be diagnosed in children as young as 14 months, The Baltimore Sun states.

New research appearing in Pediatrics magazine suggests there are effective treatments to dealing with the disability, which often puzzles many.A five-year study found interventions starting as early as 18 months improved IQ, language ability and social interaction in autistic children.

The study, by researchers with Autism Speaks, the University of Washington and UC Davis Mind Institute, is based on a clinical trial of 48, 18-to-30 month old children. Half got intensive two-hour therapy sessions with a specialist five days a week and five hours of parent therapy, while the control group received only annual assessments from doctors and referrals to therapies already available in their communities.

The children who received the interventions had an average increase of 18 IQ points over the study period and made gains in language skills and social interaction. Only one child in the control group had an improved diagnosis, the authors found.

"Infant brains are quite malleable so with this therapy we're trying to capitalize on the potential of learning that an infant brain has in order to limit autism's deleterious effects, to help children lead better lives," said Sally Rogers, of the UC Davis MIND Institute, and a co-author of the study.

American Journal of Epidemiology

In another report, in a study of 7.5 million births in California between 1989 and 2002, researchers at the California health department found that a child's risk of developing autism increased along with the age of his or her parents. Their finding were recently reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, Mother Nature Network stated.

The study found that for each 10-year increase in a mother's age between the ages of 20 and 40, the risk of her child developing autism climbed by 38 percent. The study also took into account other factors like the father's age and other factors, like race and parents' education. Men are not exempt for the increased risk either. Each 10-year increase in a father's age between the ages of 20 and 60 was associated with a 22 percent increase for the man's child.

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