then they counted the cases of autism in each group and calculated the autism rate. they found no difference. children who didn't get the shot had the same risk of developing autism as those who did. the team published the findings in the "new england journal of medicine." other studies carried out by researchers in sweden, britain, finland and the us also found no association between mmr and autism. additional evidence came from japan. the japanese changed their vaccine schedule in 1993, replacing the mmr triple shot with three separate vaccinations. but following the change, autism rates did not fall. in fact, they appeared to rise, thus making the triple shot an unlikely cause of autism. the danish team now went on to investigate the second theory: the mercury preservative thimerosal. it turned out that in denmark there was a simple way to test this as well. >> in denmark, since the '70s, only one vaccine has contained thimerosal, and that was a pertussis vaccine. it contained thimerosal until may-june '92. then the same vaccine continued but without thimerosal. >

we don't know the cause of autism.s there are some factors associated with slight increases in autism such as parental age but those factors account for a very small proportion of cases. some combination of genes and the environment. we're working hard to understand this more and c.d.c. has additional studies under way, the largest study in the country, to help us understand the risk factors for awe stichl that ultimately we could prevent it. >> brown: dr. hyman, what would you add to that and fill in a little bit what are the areas of research at this point? >> the research the c.d.c. released is critically important. it's an'm deem logic study so it's the framework of where to look and who to look in. as dr. frieden said, the... until fairly recently we thought that it was all about genes and what we know now from some fairly recent research is that there are multiple genes that result in susceptibility but environmental factors may turn these gene on and off at different times of development so that it's really... t

people with autism can work. the can be very productive in society. >> i just want to get into the very brief point -- >> we can do early intervention to improve outcomes during a lifetime. pharmaceutical firms have medicines that can improve socialization and the court symptoms of autism. it is ironic these numbers have come out this past week. monday is world autism awareness day. we are going to be celebrating of the awareness, accomplishments, and achievements people with autism at 140 countries around the globe. >> thank you very much. >> pleasure. >> you are watching bbc world news america. 100 years after the titanic's -- journey, history is breathing new life into belfast. it has spent nearly 80 years, but there are still places that in force and no alcohol policy. in dry counties, debate is fierce over whether the ban should be overturned. >> i would rather be a christian than to be the most wealthy drunk in the united states. >> prohibition ended in 1933, but in the south, the sale of up to holliman is

gary goldstein, autism specialist.elcome to the show, thank you for being here. >> thank you very much, pleasure to be here. >> i want to ask you about some of the things that work because we try to be solutions-oriented on the program. let me start off by asking, what do you make of the numbers? >>> i was surprised to see the plateau has not yet been achieved. we are still seeing an increase every two years. >> we ticked them off for people in terms of how the rates have gone up, when you look at these studies, does it give you any more insight in causes from an environment perspective or otherwise? >> we know your genes do not change this quickly. genes change over thousands of years, not over a decade or two. we know even though there is strong genetic influences on autism, that it cannot be responsible for the increase. the other thing -- in the past decade, there has been enormous number of large genetic studies, and we're identifying genes but the genes we identified, the changes in those genes puts you at risk,

some states have a higher percentage of autism cases. boys were more likely to have them than girls. the most significant around black or hispanic children. baltimore males krieger sees about 2,000 each year with autism and the numbers are growing. they say early intervention in children has young as 14 months is crucial to help them develop. >> reporter: have someone take a look at your child because there's a lot that can be done. if it does happen to an autism disorder, all the more important that intervention is started early. >> reporter: by working with children early, parents can teach them how to communicate. many believe children have behavior problems but autism -- autistic children learn differently. >> weather wise across the state, it has been a beautiful looking day but at times quite windy. now this. a frost advisory. we saw this earlier this week. this time not for baltimore. not for southern maryland or the eastern shore but from harford county west along the pennsylvania line, including northern baltimore, carroll and a

autism. stunning news tonight about the number of children diagnosed, especially little boys. >>> apple investigation. a big admission tonight about the working conditions for the people who make your iphones and ipads. >>> first look, on tape of the man who shot trayvon martin. tonight, the question, what does it really show? >>> pumped up. gas prices sky high, and it looks like it could be a very expensive summer. >>> and gold rush. going west again to strike it rich. "nightly news" begins now. >>> good evening. i'm lester holt, in tonight for brian williams. the mere mention of the word strikes deep anxiety for parents everywhere. autism. a set of development disabilities that often send healthy outgoing children into a nearly impenetrable world of their own. and we learned that more and more american children are now considered to be autistic. the numbers are jaw dropping. according to the cdc, 1 in 88 children has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder. among boys, 1 in 54

has autism or a related disorder. what accounts for this rise and where are we on treatment methods? for answers, let's talk to the president of autism speaks who joins us from new york. thank you for joining us. where did these figures come from? this is an incredible rise? >> this is an incredible rise. the real answer is that we don't know. what we do know is that one in 80 children died nose with autism today, that is doubling what has happened over the past 10 years. we have a tripling of the cost for families. for a family that has a job with autism, they could spend $2.3 million a year, a tremendous burden. what we have is an odd is an epidemic. at autism speaks, where we find science and efficacy, we have increased awareness 43%, we have raised millions of dollars for research. this is not enough. there is some much more demand. one in 88 children being diagnosed with autism. the supply to meet that is not there. there is a focus that could put a big dent in this epidemic and there is leadership and partnershi

the cause of autism remains a mystery.be found in studying families like the otts. 12-year-old brock was diagnosed at age 5. >> i act normal now. if you got me when i was young, i would stare into space and talk to you while i'm staring into space. you'd be talking to me and i'd be staring there and i'd still be talking to you. >> reporter: so things have gotten better? >> uh-huh. a lot better. >> you got it! >> reporter: at children's hospital of philadelphia, researchers look for changes in the brain after birth. and even during pregnancy. that's why brock's sister has been monitored since she was born. next year new guidelines are expected to change the definition of autism. that could drastically reduce the number of children given the diagnosis, particularly those with mild autistic traits like brock. michelle miller, cbs news, new york. >>> you've heard of pink slime. well, some say it's getting a bad name, especially one company that makes the beef filler. beef products in nebraska says there's nothing gross about t

the cause of autism remains a mystery. some of the some of the clues may be found in studying families like the otts. 12-year-old brock ott was diagnosed at age five. >> act normal now. if you looked at me when i was younger i would stare into space and talk to you once and stare into spa into spaces. you would be talking to me and i would be staring here and i would still be talking to you. >> reporter: so things have gotten better? >> uh-huh. a lot better. >> you got it! >> reporter: at children's hospital of philadelphia tresearchers look for changes in the brain after birth, and even during pregnancy. that's why brock's sister, i have an ahas been monitored since she was born. >> there are so many! >> reporter: so far she's a typical three-year-old, but given the rise in casees, her mother, naidona, is anxious for answers. >> when i have grandchildren is it going to be one in two? >> naidona's son, brock, went through extensive therapy in specialized schools before he saw improvement, and, scott, next next year, new gu

goldstein has been treating children with autism for decades. >> we had 100 patients with autism coming for evaluations and services in a given year. we now have 2,000 active patients. >> reporter: 2,000? more autistic kids now or are we doing a better job of diagnosing it? >> more cases. certainly more awareness. >> reporter: the cdcbers say that boys are five times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. the good news is more kids are getting treated earlier. >> we see after about four to six months, sometimes even less of early intervention therapies, often dramatic improvement in the ability of this child to communicate. >> reporter: eva who is 4 years old now, is getting intensive specialized schooling. 6 hours a day. helping to make the most of her world. >>> in other news this morning -- the beef industry is taking extreme steps, hoping to reverse near-record losses created by the outing of the pink filling dubbed pink slime. they toured the last remaining u.s. plant that's still making the beef by product. they insisted that pink slime is not only safe but nutritious

. >>> we'll talk about a new way to treat autism. it's an interesting study brought up by our linda so. you'll here from parents and doctors. >>> the last time loyola won, we were high fiving the gators. let's welcome them home no after this warmer than average winter, a cooler day. 50 would be normal. our weather winner, bernie. you're our two-degree winner. we'll talk about how much warmer things will be by thursday and if it holds up. that's coming up. >>> you're looking live, a quick day and a night. temperature at noontime at chetion is a peek beach -- chesapeake beach, 45 degrees. all right. let's take a look at health news. a new study suggests children who are the youngest in their class are more likely to dying notioned with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than their older classmates suggesting a -- maturity may be the problem. the study in six to 12-year-olds is done out of canada no there could be a new treatment option for kids with autism. doctors are studying a new class of drugs and a new approach by parents.

i am. >> your son is autistic. >> yes. >> tell us about that. >> autism -- i mean, we're in world autismw what i can say other than the fact that it's a devastating disorder that affects families financially emotionally. it's a hard thing for as a father to see your child suffering from a disorder. for me i just wanted to do something that would make a difference. i chair an event called autism speaks to wall street chef skal la, we've raised about $9 million over the past five years. all the chefs come out and participate. it's on october 9th. my restaurant abe and arthur and lexington brass, we're lighting it up blue as is the empire state building and all the famous buildings in the world. >> soy sauce. what would you keep in your kitchen? >> soy sauce is my favorite ingredient in my cupboard because it can accent and flavor just about anything. >> chef becker we would love to have you sign a dish here. it's a tradition with us here at "the dish." as you're doing that i want people to know where they can get more information on chef franklin becker. for more on him as well as autism,

. >>> a health alert on alarming new numbers about autism in america. new figures indicate a public health energy. the cdc report estimates that 1 in 88 children have some form of autism disorder. and that makes it twice as common than officials thought it was five years ago. some credit to better understanding. and last night there was an event last night to bring more autism awareness. >> reporter: this art is beautiful and colorful and it was cosponsored by the john hopkins montgomery campus and the madison house autism foundation. the artwork was created by more than 30 adult artists who have been diagnosed with autism like 17-year-old emily who likes to draw birds. >> the thing that i look forward to drawing the birds is the details. every stroke has a lot of detail. >> reporter: she is high funking in her struggles in her autism and wants to be a vet when she finishes school. >> i hate being touched and loud noises. and i don't really like being around people. >> reporter: it's been a challenge for her family. >> there was something wrong and we c

the problem is, autism-related costs have tripled in a decade. now $126 billion a year, according to the advocacy group, autism speaks. >> something's got to be done now. we have a national crisis. a national health crise crisis on our hands. >> advocates say the federal government needs to spend more to find causes and treatments. aiden and others, they point out, will grow in to adults who may need expensive services for life. john fowler, ktvu news. >> ipo had the biggest opening day since linked in had its opening. annie's shares climbed $2 a share. >> the national unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in four years. the number of people applying for jobless benefits fell from 5,000 to 3059, the lowest since 2008. >>> the good news on the job front wasn't enough to excite investors. the nasdaq lost 9. >> a popular pro-wrestling event is coming to hp pavilion tomorrow night. it features a wrestler who takes on the character of an antiimmigration character. organizers say it's all for entertainment. >> it's a little different, isn't it? le

it is about autism speaks -- shine a light on autism. the most contra -- the most comprehensive study on autism ever is doing that. >> he is 13 years old but he has the cognitive abilities of a second or third grader. >> it took five years to finally get a diagnosis. >> it was incredibly frustrating. >> new data shows more families are joining them. one in 110 children suffered from autism and related disorders. new numbers show cases of autism and one out of every 88 children affecting 1 million teens in the united states. he thinks the shocking new figure still is not right. >> the data we are relying on for this 188 number is from 2008. we are still seeing that increase. >> why the numbers are rising is not clear. better diagnosis and more screenings is part of the increase. >> the greatest increase was an hispanic and black children. i think that is really a representation that these children were back getting properly screen before. >> they hope the study will increase awareness. >> we hope it diverts more attention toward earlier i

the 2008 numbers show autism spectrum disorders are five times more common in boys than girls. and the largest increase? among hispanic and african-american children. older parents and premature births are suspected factors, but the cause remains a mystery. >> the idea is that it's something that affects the brain development predominantly in utero. in other words, it's either genetic or an environmental factor. >> reporter: the sfudy shows the average age of diagnosis is down to 94 ye4e 4 years old, but exp it's not it good enough. they hope to get children diagnosed by 18 months to give them a head start on treatment. >>> here is a look at some other stories making nuz news early today in america in oklahoma, dramatic end to a standoff. a s.w.a.t. team used a taser to take down a man who witnesses say had a gun. officers had tried repeatedly to talk him out of his apartment. next door 0 to a day care center, before firing the taser. >>> near philadelphia, a pet store dog napping was captured on surveillance video. a woman leaned into a bin, snatched a puppy and sneaked it int

people with autism sharing their amazing artwork. this as alarming new numbers about the disorder are released. the story is coming up next.  >>> of >>> in tonight's health alert alarming new numbers about autism in america. a new cdc report estimates that one in 88 children have some form of autism spectrum disorder. health officials attribute the increase mainly to better recognition of indications through wider screening and better diagnosis. tonight in rockville an art exhibit opened up to raise autism awareness and call for more resources. fox 5's karen gray houston shows us. ows us. >> reporter: the artwork is colorful, original, eclectic. the evening reception was cosponsored by the johns hopkins montgomery county campus and the madison health autism foundation. the art was created by more than 30 young adult artists who have been diagnosed with autism, people like talented 17- year-old emily meehan who likes to draw birds. >> the thing that i look forward to drawing the birds is the details. that one, every stroke is -- ha

matthew was diagnosed with an autism disorder. one in every 88 churn -- children in the united states is diagnosed with some sort of autism. baltimore's krieger sees them each year. they said you need to monitor your child's development and seek help if you think something is not right. >> a lot of people think people with autism are not interested in other people or they can't love. those are not true. they don't express their feelings in the same way. the big thing is if your child isn't developing as you expect, have someone take a look at them. if it is an autism disorder, all the moore more -- more important that intervngs is started. >> reporter: he is now seven. his mom said early intervention has made a big difference. >> he is nonver balance of the however, matthew understands so much. i can't imagine where he would be without early intervention. matthew, come here. matthew, it's time for bed. he knows his abc's. he is doing well. >> reporter: the rate of autism among black is higher than that of white and more likely whe

frankie also has autism. assist you may know, it is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects language, behavior, and social skills. boys make up the vast majority of cases. what you may not know is 12 years ago the centers for disease control and prevention began to estimate the total number of cases in the united states. they based it on account of eight-year-old children with autism in select communities. if you look back in the years 2000 and 2002, it was about 1 child in so with autism. two years later, 1 in 125. then 1 in 110. now the latest report as of 2008, the last time an estimate was performed, 1 in 88 children has autism. that's a 78% increase just over the last decade. the question on a lot of people's minds is why? >> how much of that increase is a result of better tracking and how much of it is a result of an actual increase? we still don't know. >> researchers have discovered many genes linked to autism but in most cases genes are only one part of the equation. genes alone wouldn't change th

we see an epidemic of autism at this point. why is this happening?osis and broadening of the criteria explain part of the increase but only part. there's a large portion of the increase that's unexplained. that's why we think it's so important to investigate environmental risk factors. >> you mention environmental because other mothers and fathers i know who have kids who are on the spectrum or in a school district where they have a lot of integration of kids so we're very aware of all of this in the community and there's massive discussion about environmental causes but also how to mitigate the symptoms of autism or the characteristics of autism through environmental diet for example and keeping kids away from certain chemicals. that's a big part of the research right now too. >> that's right. we know that genes play a large role in terms of the cause of autism. we also know that environment plays a role. we're beginning to identify some of those environmental risk factors. >> like what? >> some of them are older parents are at higher risk for havin

linder at the center for autism. landis says says there is a simple test cairnt parents can do. >> look at the other kids at the birthday party. is your child showing an interest in the other kids? does your child know when it's time to blow the candles out? >> reporter: meanwhile, cdc researchers surveyed 14 states. maryland was included. they found the least number. autism cases in alabama. the most number in utah. jessica, back to you. >> gigi, thank you. cdc doctors say they found more autism in hispanics and african american children in this study. >>> after a brief break. the delightful spring weather makes a comeback. a live look outside now. mostly sunny. and warmer than the last few days. >> well, it is a nice afternoon. we have a bit of a breeze. that's going to die down. and temperatures, we are sitting at 60 degrees. we have dropped down to 40s in the mounts. and -- mountains. and when we show you the wind, this is bringing in the cooler air. tonight, a seasonably cooler night. average is 47 degrees. and

he has autism, and we begin autism awareness month in april.b. we hope it's the best one ever. tina and family, thank you for watching. for a chance to be monday's fan of the day, head to our facebook page and post a comment under tina's photo. we'll be right back. 7:49now. look, every day we're using more and more energy. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ the passat is one of nine volkswagen models named a 2012 iihs top safety pick. not that we'd ever brag about it. turn right. come on, nine. turn left. hit the brakes. huh? how'd that get there? [ male announcer ] we can't hide how proud we are to have nine top safety picks like the passat and jetta. so we're celebrating with our "safety in numbers

autism disorders are now almost five times more common in boys than girls. affecting one out of 54 boys compared to one in 252 girls. experts say a number of factors may be contributing to the increase. >> greater awareness, inclusion of more mild cases, and of course there's always the possibility that there is a to rise in incidents and if there is that something that needs to be investigated. >> high class research must continue to understand risk factors and causal factors. >> she is director of the autism research program at kaiser permanente @. one study looks at bio markers in pregnant women and newborns. >> genetic factors and environmental factors and immune factors, and hormonal factors, to see if we can identify very early markers of autism. >> the goal is to design interventions that might prevent the disorder. but until then, as foreign says, early intervention is key. >> i have my daughter speaking to me, she understands and she plays. she still throws tantrums and is different than the rest. >> jean kerr urges parents to act quickly to have co

pchildren's developmenn moving intt autism 25 there is no cause or cure for autism, but doctors say thearll diagnosis. presiddnt obama called on congress to end tax breaks for pil companies...but many republicans....disagree.but as jessica yellin reportt... it's sides of the aisle pointing fin. finggrs. tte president playee his part about that. it's like hittinn the americannpeopleetwice.he called on theesenate to pass a bill that would have eliminated billions in tax brraas for oil companies. ammrican oil is booming. the oil industry is doinn just fiin. with record i'm not worried about the big oil companies.up on capitol hill republicaas charged that pil companies for political gain. somehow, they thought that doing this would set up some kind of political win for understand..i mean,,i can't &pimagine anyone giving them an higg fives for not lowerinn gas prices. the bill died in the senate but will no doubt live on in -- can't you hearrit now deeocrats sayinggthe gop voted american energy alliance -- a group with ties to the oil induutry -- is uu with this ad in 8 states.tell obama we

. >> still ahead, a staggering increase, what's behind the rise in autism cases. >> a family destroyed. we're hearing from the wife of the san francisco sheriff at the center after domestic violence controversy. >> that if i'm wearing a hoody i could be trayvon martin. >> california lawmakers join in the national protest for the slain florida teenager. >> and good afternoon. i'm jeff ranieri in the weather center. we're tracking quite a bit of rainfa off to the north. as we head through the next 24 hours it's going to be increasing our chances of showers. we're tracking a bit of it in the north bay and have a full timeline on a wet start to your weekend. >> and are you in on the lottery pool? what you need to know to make sure you get your cut of the record mega millions jackpot. o >>> the wife of suspended san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi is speaking out. she endorsed an opinion piece on her domestic violence drama. it claims that she has been victimized by the justice system in the handling of a dispute with her husband before he was sworn in. the couple have huge legal bills, th

>>reporter: 16 p autism is relatively rare, dr.ott sure says the fact that it is based on gene mutation allows his team to study the role of genetic to pass on autism. chris father rob carries the same gene mutation as his son also undergoing cognitive testing and brain imaging as part of the multi-generation study. >> sometimes you have parents who are mildly affected and kids their unfortunately more severely affected and that allow us to potentially chase the brain signature by comparing the parents to the kids. >> it's showing magnetic activity. >>reporter: researchers say one hope is to identify path way in the brain that might be target for new drug therapy. >> this would be like the grand slam at the botto of the nine with bases loaded. >>reporter: they make it one of the largest of its kind. the team is using social media to help solicit volunteers. chris family flew in from oregon to participate and while the chance short-term pay back is slim, any chance to help find new treatment for autism is worth it for this family. >

autism speaks is the leading autism organization in the world.ght. the rate has nearly doubled in that time. we see the cost to families has almost tripled over the last six years. ais i'll tell you we're undercounting on both numbers. >> why do you think that? >> they pull from health and education records. we did a gold study in south korea where everybody single child got looked at. the rate was 1 in 38. folks at the cdc will tell you jerry undercounting. >> why do you think this number is growing? what's causing it? is it environmental? you know it's a developmental disorder. >> the nih pays a scientist at columbia university just on that question, the answer is four fold. better diagnosis, more awareness, but 50% is do not know. what we think there is that there are environmental triggers going on and we need more science dollars to go into environmental research. >> like what? because i spoke to dr. sanjay gupta last hour. i said is there a test? he said i'm used to ordering a test saying get this and what have you. it's not quite that cut

. >>> an alarming jump in the cases of autism. the number of children with autism is the highest in recorded history. in tonight's health watch, maryland's rate is even higher than the national average. >> i just knew it was something. mother instinct, i knew. >> reporter: her instincts were right. her 7-year-old son was diagnosed with autism at 14 months. doctors reported one in every 110 children had autism. today it is 1 in 88 and in maryland, one in 80. it could be greater awareness, better diagnosis, or inclusion of milder cases or it could be a real increase. whatever the reason, dr. rebecca landa sees it as a call to action. >> it says that we have a lot of children that we need to be taking seriously in terms of giving the best possible education, the best possible health care. >> reporter: it's five times more common in boys than girls. the doctor says do what marol did. watch your child, trust your instincts, and get help early. >> his twin said, will matthew ever be able to talk? we'll praying he'll be able to talk, but