dr. 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,

dr. gary goldstein, who studies the disorder. >> that's a pretty enormous number.urprised that it's continuing to increase at this rate of over 20%. >> reporter: in fact, the new numbers would indicate an extraordinary situation, that the rate of autism has doubled in just six years. in 2008 the cdc studied the medical and educational records of over 300,000 8-year-olds in 14 states. they were looking for a diagnosis or symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, or asd. asd refers to a group of symptoms, including a profound inability to communicate, mental retardation and other developmental disorders from mild to severe. diagnosis can be complicated and subjective. >> the people who are making the observation are more atune to autism and more likely describe the symptoms. >> reporter: the cdc acknowledges the surge is due in part to increased awareness. the cause of autism remains a mystery. some clues may 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

dr. gary goldstein has been treating autistic children for decades. >> reporter: what was it like 20 years ago? >> we had about a hundred patients am canning in a given year. we now have 2,000 active patients. >> reporter: so are there more autistic kids, are we just doing a better job diagnosing it? >> i think it's both. there are more cases. certainly more awareness. >> reporter: the cdc numbers show that boys are five times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. but no one knows why. the good news is more kids are being treated earlier. >> we begin as early as 18 months. after four to six months of early intervention therapies, often dramatic improvements in the ability of the child to communicate and act socially. >> reporter: ava is getting intensive specialized schooling, helping her make the most of her world. >> we just heard the terrifying trend of more diagnoses. what's going on? >> clearly there's nor screening and diagnosis. we we don't know the answer. until we understand what causes autism, it's hard to say why we're seeing more cases. >> what should parents do? what should

dr. gary goldstein who studies the disorder. >> that's a pretty enormous number and i was sort of surpri surprised that it is continuing to increase at this rate of over 20%. >> reporter: in fact, the new numbers would canada an hatraordinary situation, that the rate of autism has doubled in just six years. directly colleen boyle of directly colleen boyle of the cdc oversaw the study. >> >> no matter what the number is, there's one thing for certain, and that is that more children are being identified where with autism. >> reporter: in 2008, the cdc studied the medical and educational records of over 300,000 eight-year-olds in 14 states. they were looking for a diagnosis or symptoms of autism spectrum spectrum disorder, or asd. asd refers to a group of symptoms, including a profound inability to communicate umental retardation, and other de developmental disorders from mild to severe. diagnosis can be complicated and subjective. >> the people who are making the ob observations are more attuned to autism and more likely to oms.ribe these symptoms. >> reporter: the cdc acknowledges the sur

dr. gary goldstein had been treating autistic kids for decades. >> we had about 100 patients of autism coming in a given year. we now have 2,000 active patients at the kennedy kroeger institute. >> 2,000? >> reporter: so are there more autistic kids now or are we just doing a better job diagnosing it? >> i think it's both. there are more cases. there's certainly more awareness. >> reporter: the cdc numbers from 14 states show that boys are five times more likely to be diagnosed girls. but no one knows why. the good news is more kids are getting treated earlier. >> we begin as early as 18 months. we see after about four to six months, sometimes even less of early intervention therapies, often dramatic improvements in the ability of the child to communicate and to interact socially. >> reporter: eva who is 4 now is getting what everyone recommends. intensive specialized schooling. six hours a day. helping her make the most of her world. >> it's important to remember that parents are the first line of defense. talk to your pediatrician about what to look for in your child. they could indicate an