she's the parent of an autistic daughter jodi. she's also co-founder and president of the autism science foundation also joining me, gerald fischbach, a scientific director of the simons foundation, uta frith is at the university of ledge london's ins opportunity. matthew state is the donald j. professor of psychiatry and genetics at the university of medicine and my co-host is dr. eric kandel. he's a nobel laureate, a professor of columbia university and a howard hues medical investigator. >> autism is a developmental disdisorder that manifests itself in a disturbance of social interaction. people with autism don't appreciate that other people have minds of their own. so they find it very difficult to put themselves in another person's position, to realize they have their own ambitions and ideas about the world. the underlying cause for this is a file your of optimal development of a biological function called theory of mind. you and i have a theory of mind. when you and i have a conversation i've got a good idea where you're goi

reporter sharon chin on the bay area projects that aims to get autistic adults a place to call home. insurance and your husband's are wondering if their daughter will live and they're gone julia has autism. >>> when raising a child with special needs you worry about the time about everything. >>> juliet is applying for housing in the community in downtown sonoma it's a first of its kind in the nation designed specifically for young adults with autism. did we should be with her peers that is literally a dream come true for me. it's a convenient place and i can do arts and crafts. i can exercise an do arts and crafts and watch a movie. the new 3 a. community named dr. its nonprofit sponsor their offices and family. quite predictable. it is specifically designed all the buildings for let's sensitivities some sensitivity spatial orientation privacy by its security. mark canton jackson say the new community is designed to be the opposite of a large isolated institutions that used to house the developmentally disabled. they're among the parents came up with the idea five years ago during a

new research about how the age of the father could increase the risk of an autistic child. >>> and wild child. prince harry's trip to las vegas gives his family a whole new kind of royal pain. >>> good evening. as we come on the air, tropical storm isaac threatening to deliver a body blow to the east coast. it now has 45-mile-per-hour winds, and is growing stronger. it is expected to reach hurricane strength this time tomorrow. and at this hour, this is the most likely projected path. by friday, isaac will hit the dominican republic, then cuba and then onto south florida, hitting there late sunday, early monday morning. in fact, just as the republican national convention is getting under way. and, take a look at its size. isaac, already as big as texas. it has been seven years since the last big hurricane hit florida, raising new concern tonight about readiness on shore. and abc's matt gutman is there. >> reporter: tropical storm isaac churning more than 1,000 miles away from the florida coast. but at this florida emergency operations center, the storm is all too close. >> we're making

now for some autistic children surfing the waves of ocean city has a healing element, more than 200 autistic kids participating in a surfers healing camp in oc. professional surfers are helping the kids like 8-year- old aiden cassady of mount airy. >> it's amazing. for him he'll be talking about it forever. i mean he will just go on and on about. it he was already saying he's a surfer dude before he came out here. >> the man behind the nonprofit program started himself after he discovered he could connect more completely with his own autistic son through surfing. what a fantastic story and boy, to be at a beach on a day like this, right? >> yes. i think today we're looking at some showers and storms arriving from the north and west. this weekend beach weather, a little iffy because it looks to be a bit unsettled, but the good thing for us if you're around the dmv and the city, we're looking at much cooler conditions and lower humidity. we all like that. we're watching a line of showers and storms on the doppler radar where you can see they're around the leesburg area, 1 chester, front royal

his apparent say he is autistic. we recognize it's not a -- his parents say he is autistic.this is not a great photo but this is all police have. he is about 5-7 and weighs about 120 pounds. police tell us that he was last seen wearing a white shirt green shorts and black sneakers. if you have information, call 911 immediately. >>> new video of a small plane crash along long island. two people died in that -- as that aircraft plummeted into a neighborhood. people ran out of their home with fire excontinuing wishes. some even resorted to using garden hoses. no one was on the ground -- no one on the ground was hurt. it's unclear how many people on board the plane. the ntsb is investigating the cause of the crash. >>> an interview making headlines and has a congressman apologizing. todd akins of missouri is a staunch opponent of abortion e was asked what he thought about abortion if a woman was raped and here what he had to say. >> it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down but let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something, you

. >>> parents of autistic children have a new tool the,, >>> police in san mateo look for a robber who held up a mother and two kids in broad daylight the trio walking to school yesterday a man approached flashed a gun and ran off with their things. police looked him look for him and secured college park elementary. >>> usually when things go on they have a different type of response and get the community involved especially when something so close to our heart like our children >>> police did not confirm what was stolen >>> tent cabins in yosemite are shut down the possible side of of hantavirus outbreak. two men died after staying in curry village one case confirmed the double walled design of the tense may allow for mice infestation the close the cabins today 3000 visitors have been sent health warnings. >>> you've heard about home systems that help you control temperature lighting and security >>> parents use a device to monitor their autistic children dr. kim introduces us to a parent whose device has been a godsend >>> ^ te chants and her son are close so close they've shared a r

the study suggests that pets can help autistic children improve their social skills at a much younger age. >>> coming up at 4:55, time for the question of the morning. >> indeed. a recent survey suggests 50% of americans do not know how to do one of these things. is it a, jump start a car, b, drive a standard transmission, or c, program their dvr? >> log on to the wusa9 facebook fan page and leave your response. we'll reveal the answer during the 6:00 hour. >>> welcome back. 4:56. your weather first on this thursday morning. it's quiet out there this morning. it is muggy as well with temperatures in the 60s and 70s to start. we're going to be in the upper 80s by lunch time. outside chance we'll see a storm or two this afternoon with a high temperature between 90 and 95 degrees. let's go over to monika and find out if there's any more construction to get in the way. >>> i'm happy to say things are good on the inbound side of i- 66 here's what it looks like at cedar lane heading for the beltway on our traffic camera. no problems to report inside the beltway to the roosevelt bridge. ail

sharing chin is here on the bay area project that aims to give autistic adults a place to call home. >> we have an exercise room. >> karen and her husband brought their daughter julia to where she will live on their song, she's 25 and has autism. >> when you are raising a child with special needs, you worry the majority of the time about everything. >> would you like more windows? >> yes. >> julia is apply for housing in an independent living community in downtown sonoma, the first of its kind in the nation designed specifically for young adults with autism. >> she would be with her peers. i mean, that is literally a dream come true for me. >> it is a convenient place. and i can do arts and crafts. i can exercise. or watch a movie. >> the $9 million 3 a. community named after its nonprofit sponsor is set to open in december. the site will have 16 people and for four-bedroom homes that are autism friendly, calm, quiet, and predictable. >> we specifically designed buildings for light sensitivity and sound sensitivity and spatial orientation, privacy, but get security. >> mark and patri

he says a simple decal could help autistic people stay safe. have breakfast with milk and set the stage for a great day. and there are game-changers. those ideas that start with us rolling up our sleeves... ...and end with a new favorite room in the house. and when we can save even more on those kinds of projects... ...with advice to make them even better... ...that's a game-changer in itself. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get this decorative vanity and mirror setuy of just $. my little helpers... and 100% natural french's yellow mustard. it has zero calories for me, and a taste my family loves. >>> news time 5:11. thank you for joining us. and thanks for the quick thinking of two men a woman is alive this morning. her car went off the road and burst into flames trapping her inside along a pennsylvania highway this week. two men they were driving by. they stopped to help. police say her car burned so hot they couldn't identify the make or model of the car and if the men hadn't arrived when they did that woman like

thousand children now it's one in several hundred children eighty one in eighty eight born in the autistic spectrum some of that apparently is the consequence of better detection or you know changes in our definitions of what is and what isn't autism but that can't account for more than a very very small percentage of that change and there's all this speculation you know the mercury the tourists all these other things you're suggesting that genetically modified organisms may be connected i think it may be a contributor but many scientists and doctors also agree in fact in my film coming out called genetic will it will be out in august we interview three different parents including a medical doctor they took their kids off of genetically modified foods and saw changes in behavior and gastrointestinal distress one of the scientists that i work with gave a talk in germany and described to behave. physiological and neurological changes in laboratory animals in livestock that were fed genetically modified feet and a autism specialist came up to him afterwards said these are exactly what we're s

autistic... or... schizophrenic... kids.../ and... for... every year... a... man aged.../ it's...l... pass on... at... least... mutations... to... a most... genetic while... - mutations... are harmless... / many... are... linked to... mental... and... developmental... delays...//// treating autism by using child's own stem cells.it's the subject of a clinical trial in california. and the idea ... comes from a child with cerebral palsy. palsy.four year old rydr ruugers was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at eleven months.rydr couldn't sit up on his own and he required feeding tubes to eat.at fifteen months doctor's gave rydr his first infusion of his own cord blood stem cells... and his developmental delays diminished quickly. 48-54"after the first infusion after three months, he was crawling, 6 months he was standing, and nine months he was walking." walking."59-105"there's enough encouraging evidence to think there may have a role to play here...but we're opening a new door and that's the giant step." step."the trial will enroll thirty autistic children between the ages of two and

he is autistic.ve-foot, 7 inches tall, 120 pounds wearing green shorts, a white shirt, black sneakers. if you have any information on his whereabouts,íúñ the car on the left was filled up with low detergent gasoline. while the car on the right was filled up with bp gasoline with invigorate. which helps clean and protect its engine so it can get a few more miles per tank than the car on the left. what the body of a man shows up in the inner harbor earlier. an anonymous person called to report the body around 3:00 a.m. dive teams responded and are working to identify the person. it looks like the young man was between 15-20 years old and we are awaiting more in formation once the medical examiner investigates. they're not appear to be any >> on 11 news, some senior citizens getting weird calls and being scam out of money. we have the details. it's full recap on the race for the white house. pete gilbert has the ravens send a recap tonight after the game. stay with us. stay with us. >> the brain chance

researchers studied 78 families in iceland chose children were autistic or bipolar and found evidencer had a greater role passing on defective genes than the mother. the author of the study says age may be a factor in the epidemic of autism. >>> we have more ahead, we'll get your weekend started early in wh >>> later today what new research reveals about infections from tattoos even in the cleanest shops. then the superstition this one some say is [ unintelligible ] those stories and more later today on abc7 news at 4 and 5. >>> there's a lot to do this weekend music from a jazz great and you can enjoy it in the park for a good cause. >> reporter don sanchez has that and more in what's hot. ♪ ♪ >>> don mentioned the taylor family foundation event always hot there that way in weekend? >> you are a big supporter. no it won be hot that will be the nice thing probably low to mid 80s differrent than normal cooling temperatures this weekend, good time to be outside and do some activities if you have been putting them off it has been hot if you want to go to the coast be prepared for clouds

he is 12-years-old and he is autistic. >> this is all that the police have right now, his name is rashad foster and he was seen at liberty heights avenue. police tell us he was last seen wearing a white shirt, green shorts, and black sneakers. >>> okaynews of the night, a deadly shooting. witnesses say it started with a party in one room. >> it spilled into a big fight. and share has the latest. >> reporter: and 18-year-old is dead and people are still learning what happened just a few doors down. s it is crime tape. >> if you hadn't come here, i wouldmented have known what was going on. >> reporter: a scene has cleared out, winces describe a party of at least 50 people. they were upstairs until the fight started. >> nobody said anything. you know, we have breakfast and they didn't say in addition. >> reporter: here is what we know, a call for a fight came in around 1:30 and officers found kevin glasgow dead on the ground. officers did try to get information and many people called the hotel a second home. >> i wouldn't have expected it to be right here. >> reporter: the staff only rents

jamie costello has a special program on surfers to help autistic children. right now no complaints, beautiful temperatures, low humidity. >> a tough assignment hanging on the beach. take a look. the stage is all set up. here's what's going on temperature wise, 87 in town. full on sunshine in salisbury. you're sitting at 90. nothing really happening, but, again, we're focusing on a storm system that's just about 17 hours outside of town. in the next 17 hours going into tomorrow afternoon we could address the chance of scattered showers, gusty storms. some have been tested at tornadic levels over parts of the northern and western suburbs of indianapolis. we'll be watching that storm and time it. here's your forecast through the rest of the evening, 80 degrees, comfortable, going to bed around 74. it's a beautiful start to your friday morning but will feel muggy. that humidity will allow for scattered showers. again, we're going to time it out. we'll give you a beach preview going into friday and saturday and now the forecast coming up. >>> do you skype or use

he is autistic. he is 120 pounds. he was wearing green shorts and a white shirt and black sneakers.body is found in inner harbor. an anonymous caller reported the body at around 3:00 a.m. bill looks like the young man was between 15 and 20 years old. -- it looks like the young man was between 15 and 20 years old. it was a cloudy day around town. here is a live look from tv hill. >> the rain was minimal in the morning and afternoon hours. this is what the rain look like around noontime today. around 2:00, the more significant rains came to the area. the rainfall totals did not amount to very much. by 6:00 or 6:30, most of the

. >>> a new study finds older fathers are more likely to have children who are autistic. research shows that for each decade of a man's age, his chance of fathering a child with autism goes up 22%. >>> it wasn't exactly a marathon trip, but the curiosity rover on mars went for a drive on the martian surface. curiosity rolled forward about 15 feet from its landing site leaving fresh tracks in the ancient soil. >>> now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow will open at 13,172 after losing 30 points yesterday. the s&p was up a fraction. the max added six, and taking a look at overseas trading, the nikkei gained 46 points while in hong kong the hang seng leaped 244. >>> minutes from the fed's latest meeting gave investors a little bit of hope on wednesday. the s&p rebounded on hopes the nation's federal bank might soon be ready for another round of stimulus. the big question now is improving data released after that caused members to change their mind. talk of more stimulus, that could potential will he weaken the dollar sent the price of gold

researchers studied 78 families in iceland chose children were autistic or bipolar and found evidencehad a greater role passing on defective genes than the mother. the author of the study says age may be a factor in the epidemic of autism. >>> we have more ahead, we'll get your weekend started early every day potentially harmfulul germs can collect on the surface of a denture. leading regular toothpastes are not designed to kill the bacteria that polident is designed to kill. polident's unique microclean formula has been proven to eliminate thousands of times more of the germs that can grow on dentures than leading regular toothpastes. that's why it's best to clean your denture by soaking in polident. not just once or twice a week, but every day. using polident on a daily basis will make sure that you are as confident as you can be in that denture. on our newly expanded advanced digital network, a connection you can count on. introducing at&t u-verse high speed internet with more speed options, reliability and wi-fi hot spots than ever. call at&t now to get u-verse high speed internet

. >> reporter: his sons oscar and hugo are both autistic. time, researchers are spelling out mathematically how the genetic material in men's sperm changes as they age. their findings? unlike moms, dads pass on an average of 25 new mutations at age 20, increasing to 65 mutations at age 40. could that be part of the reason that older men are much more likely to father an autistic child? dads over 50 compared to dads over 30 have twice the risk. >> we have known for some time that spontaneous mutation s probably were significantly more common in children with autism. what we didn't know was just how much more common. >> reporter: but the father's age only explains about 5% of the risk of autism. but one thing is clear. men have a biological clock, too. this does provide a clue to the causes of autism. dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. >> ever since the '80s, more and more dads over the age of 40 because -- society changed. people delayed a family. focused on education, just waiting until they're in a more stable, older place. interesting

researchers found the dads over 50 years old are twice as likely to father an autistic child as dadsver 30. but they add their findings are simply a peek into the mystery of autism and should not prevent older men from considering fatherhood. >> i want to make it clear that the risk for being an older father is very small. and nobody is saying to older men that they shouldn't have children. but this does provide another clue to the causes of autism. >> in fact, dr. besser tells us that a father's age only explains about 5%, actually, of the risk of autism. >>> and a mysterious, new disease has emerged leaving scores of people dead in asia and the united states. this mimics aids by damaging immune systems, though patients are not infected by hiv. so far, all of the infected patients are asian. the cause is unknown. but the disease does not appear to be contagious. frightening news there. >>> graham spanier is offering his strongest and most personal defense yet of his actions in connection with the jerry sandusky sexual abuse case. spanier does acknowledge he was told in 2001 about sa

>> all of them autistic. >> go, lilly! >> lilly olsen didn't let the rain stop her from catching a wave. something her mother felicia loves to see. >> she doesn't really talk. she looks like she is having fun. >> the healing event bitter sweet for lilly and her mom. >> the first year she was part of surfer healing her dad went into a coma from melanoma. two days prior she served and he passed away two days after. every year it's kind of a special thing for us to be able to come out here and remember him and she is out there surfing for her daddy. >> the healing powers of the water volunteers hope the children feel. >> got something for the kids that i think is just wonderful. >> dwayne webster wailings a pro surfer for 20 years before he was a surfer's healing volunteer. >> biggest reward right there. that's seeing the kids are having time of their life. >> wave after wave these children of all levels of autism show their excitement and joy of just being, well, a kid. >> it's so empowering to be able to see her out there a

one washington state mom says her 10-year-old son was denied a free haircut because he is autistic and has special needs. christina says yesterday while she was at work her nanny took her son to jv penny but the stylist refused to cut his hair. he covered his ears but was behaving fine other wise. >> disgusted that somebody would treat another human being like taand be judgmental. and that they would do it to a child, someone that can't, i mean most children canted defends themselves, let alone a child with special needs. >> businesses have the right to refuse service within reason, but if they don't have a good reason, the refusal could be considered discrimination. the corporate headquarters did not return a call for comment but managers said they are aware of the situation and handling it appropriately. she would like an apology for what happened to her son. >>> marijuana plants growing as tall as big trees. where cops made this enormous pot bust. >>> umpire makes injection in a game but it wasn't a player or coach who got thrown out. >>> i'm mike masco, look, if you are a weather b

an arresting headline that came out today, older fathers are more likely to have children who are autistic. our chief science correspondent robert bazell has more on the new research suggesting men may, too, have a biological clock. >> reporter: it's the strongest evidence yet that older men run a higher risk of fathering children with autism and other mental problems. the study out today is published as the cover story in the prestigious journal "nature." >> it helps us understand the complex causes that are likely behind autism and other related developmental disorders. >> reporter: research has shown for each decade a man ages, his chance of fathering a child with autism goes up by 22%. today's study in the laboratories in iceland offers a good explanation. it shows that as men age, the sperm cells undergo genetic mutations which are passed onto the child. a 20-year-old man passes on an average of 25 mutations, while a 40-year-old passes on 65. the number keeps going up as the man gets older. many scientists caution while this latest research is very important, a father's age is just on

his name is rashad foster and his parents say he is autistic. police say he was found safe and unharmed and he was last seen on liberty heights avenue and he is home safe this morning with his family. >>> a shooting outside a baltimore county hotel now an 18-year-old is killed. linda so is live at county police headquarters with the very latest and linda, where are we relative to police making an arrest? >> reporter: no arrest yet. this happened early sunday morning but police don't have a suspect. people saturday the ramada limited on route 40 tells us the group of about 50 people were having a party in room and it spilled into a big fight in the parking lot when be somebody pulled out a gun. when police arrived they found 18-year-old kevin glasgow dead at scene. hotel staff says they rent to people 21 or older. >> i wouldn't really expect it around this area. maybe more towards the city like a couple blocks down. >> reporter: now the victim lived about a mile away from the hotel. his family had no comment. if you have information on the suspec

this is 12-year-old rashad foster and he is autistic. this is not a very good picture but it's the best police have to go on. he was seen sunday afternoon near the 3400 block of liberty heights avenue. he is 5 foot 7, weighing about 120 pounds. police tell us that he was last seen wearing a white shirt, green shorts and black sneakers. call 9 11 right now if you've seen him. >>> a shooting outside a hotel in baltimore county and an 18- year-old is killed. linda so is live this morning at baltimore county police headquarters with the latest and linda, do police have an arrest or suspects in the case? >> reporter: no arrests. this happened early sunday morning and police still do not have a suspect. people at the ramada limited on route 40 in catonsville says a group of 50 people were having a party an it spilled into a fight when someone pulled out a gun. police found 18-year-old kevin gls -- glasgow dead at scene. >> i didn't expect it to be where i am staying. >> around this area maybe towards the city's couple blocks down. >> reporter:

a camp started by a surfer who discovered he could connect with his own autistic son this way by focusingthe ocean, the children's anxiety just seem to melt away. >> all the other kids i just grab them. we go. we shanghai them. we're pirates and we grab the kids and we go and they freak out. but something just magic happens out there. >> it's an amazing thing to see your child out on the surf board and so calm. it's so positive at the same time. it's just so overwhelming. >> surfers from hawaii and california joined those from the delmarva area to help put on this really cool camp. >>> now we go way beyond hawaii for some fresh detailed pictures from the mars rover curiosity. these shots include a view from curiosity's landing site. another image shows marks on the planet surface made by blasts from the rover's engines landing this week. curiosity is on a two-year mission to search for signs of past life on mars. i wonder what they're going to find. >>> anny. >> definitely. we're looking at some scattered showers for this evening. we're talking about a cold front coming through. and we st

. >>> a new study finds older fathers are more likely to have children who are autistic. research shows that for each decade of a man's life, his chance of fathering a child with autism goes up 22%. >>> and it wasn't exaektly a marathon trip but the curiosity rover on mars went for a drive on the martian surface. curiosity rolled forward about 15 feet from its landing site leaving fresh tracks in the ancient soil. >>> and now here's your first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. the demand for political news on the internet is growing so fast. youtube has created its own election hub website. it will give political junkies their fix from network tv and many other sources and will even live stream the conventions and debates. of course, you can always tune in to msnbc the place for politics. >>> a quirky law in nevada that allowed voters to choose none of the above has been struck down by a federal judge who ruled it unconstitutional because votes for none don't count in the final tallies that determine winners. >>> kerry gauthier a democratic state lawmaker

a texas father now on the mission to help keep autistic people safe in emergency situations. he's designed a sticker to be placed on cars giving first responders is heads-up when they approach a vehicle. by that way they'll know if they're responding to a person in a car with autism that could be frightened or possibly agitated. >> but once he sees the lights and all that kind of stuff, the anxiety comes. and once that anxiety hits, you know, i never know what reaction i'm going to get. if it's wanting the guilty out of the car or -- to get out of the car or acting fidgety. >> brent carmichael would like to see the decals displayed on house doors and windows. that way if there's a ware crews will know if there's any possible complications. >>> all right check this story out. 6-year-old utah boy that kid right there. been experiencing some sinus problems since he was 3. so his parents they took him to a number of doctors before finding out what the real problem was. turns out this little guy had a lego tire had been stuck in his nose for years. well, there it is. ew. cleaned u

. >>> an autistic boy from west virginia is making friends across the country thanks to a single facebook post. last month bailey white's parents posted a message saying our son bailey absolutely positively hands down loves the usa. please help him collect u.s. postcards from each and every state. bailey has now received more than 600 postcards including one signed by president jimmy and rosalynn carter. we posted bailey's address online for anyone who wants to send him a note go. to www.myfoxdc.com and click web links. now you have the news edge. as always, thank you for staying up late. back here tomorrow, hope you will be, too. have a fantastic night.   >> fox 5 news isn't over. go to www.myfoxdc.com now for news, weather and entertainment updates. fox 5 news is washington's best news on air and online at www.myfoxdc.com brought to you by verizon 4g lte.

to me and i believe most supporters well thank you very much they for your point of view activism autists stalky live from new york on this developing story that we're covering often in a songe who's just been given asylum from the ecuadorian. right so just to remind you our breaking news story this hour is julian assange has been granted political asylum by aqua dog two months after taking refuge at the country's embassy in london foreign minister made the announcement saying the whistleblowers for years of being politically persecuted for releasing secret u.s. files are justified he added neither the u.k. no sweden provided any guarantees that a sundress human rights would be respected if he was extradited to stockholm and that further prosecution in the u.s. remains a genuine danger as for brits in the foreign office decision did not change anything warning that obligations to extradite a songe to sweden will still be carried out earlier the u.k. said that even if it is given asylum he won't be granted safe passage from the country inter in sweden have summoned aquittal some bastard ca

he is autistic and was last seen wearing a white shirt and black sneakers. if you have any information, you are asked to call 911 immediately. >> a body was found in the inner harbor. officials are still working to identify the victim. it looks like the victim was a male between the ages of 18 and 20. a family pleas for help after missing daughter was found dead in pasadena. the victim, jessica lynn lee. her remains were discovered earlier this month. she went missing from home in brooklyn park back in may. there is a message for the person responsible. >> whoever did this to my daughter, i hope you rot in hell and are sentenced to death. e intook my daughter from ma my grandmother's granddaughter from her. we have to live with this for the rest of pro-life. >> police have not figured out an exact cause of death but police believe that lee was murdered. >> it is carrier to be a busy week for the candidates vying to be the next commander in chief. >> there will be pushing their message for the future of medicare. hallie jackson has more on the story. >> you c