Autism Defined
Autism is a cognitive disorder affecting approximately one out of every 150 children in the United States. Providing a complete definition of autism can be as vexing as the actual ailment, since so much research has yet to be done, but the core symptoms of autism include deficits in social relationships, delayed and abnormal language and a pattern of repetitive behaviors and restricted interests.

These factors make autism one of the most challenging disorders to afflict children. An infant with autism may not look at his parent’s face or respond to a smile. Autistic toddlers may not use spoken words, or they may simply echo what they hear. Even if speech is normal, an autistic child is likely to have trouble making friends due to dominating fixations and/or a complete lack of interest in other people.

Autism manifests itself in differing degrees of severity, with some children growing up to lead normal, independent lives, and others requiring constant care and supervision throughout their lifetimes. As seen in the popular film “Rainman” a small percentage of people with autism display savant abilities, allowing them to perform seemingly superhuman acts of calculation and recall. But for most who suffer from autism, it offers only a profound set of limitations.

Perhaps the biggest challenge regarding autism is the mystery surrounding the causes, treatment and prevention of the disorder. With diagnoses experiencing a tenfold spike in the last twenty years, answers have never been more desperately needed.

The hope for real progress in treatment of autism lies in research to discover the basic causes. These causes are suspected to be biological, but the exact nature of the causal pathway is unknown. Over the years, unsubstantiated claims of miracle cures have continued to lead to the same dead ends. But in spite of these missteps, progress is being made, with legitimate research continually expanding the body of knowledge regarding autism.

Recent strides include research that has found the brain's fusiform face area, the control tower for face recognition, is under active in people with autism. The more severe the disorder, the more disabled the fusiform. And recently, the FDA approved the first drug to be used exclusively to treat autism. Many children with autism are now benefiting from special education and behavioral training. But still, there is no effective treatment for the core symptoms.

For this reason, the Utah Autism Foundation was formed to give researchers the funding they need to make continual strides towards furthering treatment and prevention of autism, by finding the elusive causes of the disorder.