Over the last two decades, the number of children diagnosed with
autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has risen at an
alarming rate. Just a couple of years ago the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated one in 88 school
children had some form of autism. That was a 23% increase over
2009's count and a 78% rise over 2007. In a new report, the CDC
puts that number at one in 50 school age children. What's behind
this condition that was unknown to much of the population just
30 years ago? First, let's look at what exactly health
professionals mean when they speak of autism. Biology and
chemistry Autism is a physical condition linked to abnormal
biology and chemistry in the brain. According to the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) most parents of an autistic child can
tell something is not quite right by the time the child is 18
months old. Health experts say there are many different symptoms
and different types of autism, which may explain in part the
rapid rise in diagnosis. Gener