May 4, 2006 3:17 pm US/Eastern
About 300,000 Children In US Diagnosed With Autism
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
Lisa Noke-Kearney knew something was wrong with her son Ryan. But like most kids, he wasn't diagnosed with autism until he was almost three years old.
"It's so frustrating, because when I look in his eyes, I have no idea what he's thinking," says Lisa Noke-Kearney, about her son, Ryan.
But now a new study has discovered that a certain gene, called the Pten gene, may be linked to autism.
Scientists have found that when this gene was deleted in the brains of mice. Those mice showed some autism-like symptoms- they were more anxious and less social than normal mice.
The CDC is also looking at how long it takes for a child to be diagnosed and variations in how autism is identified across different communities.
Parents like Noke-Kearney hope that this on-going research will eventually lead to better ways to treat and even possibly prevent autism someday.
"All we want for kids to grow up like every other child, all we want is a cure," she says.
That's why Noke-Kearney and other parents are sponsoring a series of walks and other events, to help raise money for autism research.
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