CDC launches study to find causes of autism
Atlanta to be included in five-year project
It’s scary when one out of every 166 children is diagnosed with autism and no one really knows what causes the disorder. But that might change soon.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced it will fund the largest study to date to explore the cause of autism. The five-year undertaking will track approximately 2,700 children ages 2 to 5 in six parts of the country, including Atlanta, to hone in on the factors that may contribute to the disorder.
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“The study will give us a much better understanding of the characteristics and prevalence of autism,” says Diana Schendel, the CDC lead scientist on the study. “And that could help us prevent it in the future.”
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Autism impairs a person’s ability to interact and communicate effectively. Individuals with the disorder often appear to be in their own world or exhibit bizarre behaviors.
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So far, scientists have only surmised that autism is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some parents and health advocates believe the chief suspect is thimerosal, a preservative that contains mercury that was once used in most vaccines. However, recent studies have discounted that possibility, leaving officials at a loss to explain how autism develops in children.
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“These vaccines aren’t preventions,” one protester remarked, “they’re poison.”
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The study won’t determine if mercury is a factor, though, because the children are too young; thimerosal was phased out from most vaccines by 2001. Schendel says the age group was capped at 5 because young children will have the most recent medical records and their parents will recall memories better.
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To sift through factors of autism, researchers will conduct interviews, review medical records and collect blood and hair samples. Scientists hope to get started by early spring.
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Heidi Fernandez, a Woodstock resident who has an autistic son, says she hopes the study helps curb the growing autistic population.
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“Any time we educate the community about autism it helps future families and children,” she says. “Finally autism is getting the attention that it needs.”