Progress is slow in the war against autism

Originally published by CNN. For full article follow the link below.

William Searing is an Eagle Scout who loves hiking, adventure, art and sports. At age 19, he's in an education program that bridges the gap from high school to getting a job. Wil has autism.

The neurological disorder was diagnosed when he was 18 months old.

Mia Newman's epilepsy and autism weren't diagnosed until she was almost 3 years old. Now 9, she and her family still face many challenges in coping with her conditions.

It's been a year since the first U.N.-declared World Autism Awareness Day. In those past 365 days, nobody has discovered the cause of autism, which the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest affects one in 150 children. Nor has a cure been found. However, new research and major court decisions have emerged to explain further what may contribute to the developmental disabilities of the brain known as "autism spectrum disorders" or ASDs.

One thing that has been known for a while is that there is not one type of autism, but rather several types under the autism umbrella, including Asperger's syndrome, classic autism and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). More and more doctors and researchers are referring to autism as autisms (plural) because each child's case is different, as are the causes, helpful therapies and potential future cures.

For the full article go to CNN, Progress is slow in the war against autism.