MichiganRadio

Autism's Growing Reach ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) -

Two government-funded studies reveal about one in a hundred children suffer from the neurological disorder known as autism. That's a higher number than previously thought.

Families, schools and medical professionals across Michigan are feeling the increase.

Rebecca Nahmias plays with her son David as he squirms happily in a colorful ball pit. David is four and a half, but unlike most children his age, he barely speaks. He finds it difficult to interact with other people, and his behavior is erratic. It seems obvious to Nahmias now. But when doctors diagnosed David with autism a couple of years ago, she was shocked.

"It was devastating, you know, as a parent you," Nahmias pauses, "I didn't even know what autism was so it was, it was really hard to hear that. And to figure out what to do next was very overwhelming."

David is one of a growing number of children diagnosed with autism. Until recently, one child in every one hundred and fifty was thought to have the disorder.

Then, last month, the federal government revised that figure to one child in every hundred. The revision was based on studies by the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

No one is sure what's behind this big increase. Many experts believe a big part is due to improved detection and awareness. The definition of autism has also broadened to include people with milder symptoms.

But questions remain. Some researchers think autism may be linked to toxins in the environment. And some parents have pointed the finger at childhood vaccines.

Catherine Lord directs the Autism and Communication disorder center at the University of Michigan.

Lord has been working in the autism field for forty years. She says numerous studies have debunked the vaccine idea.

"There's a lot of evidence that the prevalence of autism is not associated with more vaccines, or the timing of vaccines. We can never say for an individual child that this didn't cause autism but it can't be the majority of the cause," says Lord, "So we're really left with all kinds of wild ideas, which so far none of them have really been supported about what's in the environment. So we just don't know."

What experts do know is that it's essential to detect and treat autism early. Lord says there is no real cure for the disorder, but behavioral therapy can help children overcome the most debilitating effects.

The Ann Arbor Pre School and Family Center provides special intervention for autistic children. It houses a team of special needs experts who work with children individually and in small groups.

Larry Simpson is the head of Student Intervention and Support Services at Ann Arbor Public Schools. He says this kind of intervention is very expensive, but increasingly necessary. He says since he began working in Ann Arbor four years ago, the number of autistic children in the school system has doubled.

Simpson worries that continued cuts to state education funding will hamper the district's ability to provide special needs services.

"It worries everybody, including the director, including myself," says Simpson, "This is uh, we've never, ever in the state of Michigan, and never ever in Ann Arbor have faced these kind of cuts."

Many families of autistic children also face financial struggles. It's usually hard for two parents to work full time. Public services are spotty. And private therapy for autism can cost as much as fifty-thousand dollars a year.

Worse still, many health insurance plans don't cover autism treatment.

"Michigan is really one of the worst states in terms of providing services and covering insurance benefits for kids with actually any developmental disability," says Catherine Lord.

Pending legislation in the state Senate would require insurance providers to cover autism treatments. But with so many families losing jobs - and their health insurance - the need for low-cost options is growing.

Last month, Eastern Michigan University responded by opening a new autism center in Ypsilanti. The center provides a wide range of autism therapies to low-income families.

"There's a whole lot of families that don't have access to quality intervention," says Pamela Lemerand, Project Director, "And so part of our goal is to make sure that every family who needs intervention has access to intervention, and not just those who can pay."

Given the bad economy and rise in autism numbers, that could be a challenging goal to reach. © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio