Loved ones talk about children and siblings with autism and the impact on their families.
Sanjay interviews Dr. Gary Goldstein on why the percentage of children with autism is increasing.
CNN's Gena Somra travels to a Connecticut rose farm with a special training program for people with autism.
Tom Pinchbeck never dreamed he'd turn his family rose farm into an employment center for people with autism.
Editor's note: In 1994, the American Psychiatric Association published the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-IV. The DSM is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States.
Autism (now better known as autism spectrum disorder or ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused, at least in part, by genetic factors.
Joseph Sheppard has an IQ above 130. Ask him about his life or worldview and he'll start drawing connections to cosmology and quantum mechanics. He'll toss around names of great intellectuals -- Nietzsche, Spinoza -- as if they're as culturally relevant as Justin Bieber.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on the rising percentage of kids with autism and examines possible causes like exposure to toxins.
Raising an autistic child can take a tremendous financial toll, even when insurance helps cover some of the costs.
This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its newest study on the rate of autism among 8-year-olds, showing that 1 in 88 has some form of the disorder. Previously, it was 1 in 110. Does the new figure indicate that we are seeing an epidemic of autism, as some have speculated?
The CDC reports the numbers of U.S. kids with autism is rising. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.
The number of children with autism in the United States continues to rise, according to a new report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest data estimate that 1 in 88 American children has some form of autism spectrum disorder. That's a 78% increase compared to a decade ago, according to the report.
Every time Ellen Seidman hears the word "retarded," she worries for her 9-year-old son, Max, who has cerebral palsy.
Children who are the youngest in their class are more likely than their older classmates to be diagnosed and given medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -- suggesting that immaturity may be part of the problem, not ADHD.
Infants who undergo surgical procedures requiring general anesthesia in their first two years of life may be at increased risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as they grow older.
Young children are far more likely to experience attention and hyperactivity problems if their mother develops diabetes during pregnancy and they are born into a poor or lower-middle-class household, a new study suggests.
Matt Cherry clears up some myths about diabetes.
A mother says her 9-year-old son was put inside a ball bag as punishment at school. She speaks to CNN's Isha Sesay.
A Kentucky woman says special education teachers put her autistic 9-year-old son inside a net ball bag as punishment at his school.
The million-plus U.S. adults who take medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not appear to be increasing their risk of heart attack or stroke, as some experts have feared, according to a new study published today on the website of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Babies who are unusually small at birth have a higher-than-average risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder later in life, a new study in the journal Pediatrics suggests.
Henry Winkler is often called the Nicest Man in Hollywood, but now he's also known as an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Twelve-year-old Peter Mance knows every street before he sets foot in a city.
I'm a 14-year-old boy and I was told that I have Asperger's syndrome. The doctors told us that I have the IQ of a borderline genius. On average what are the chances of that happening?
A new study suggests environmental factors may play a larger role in triggering autism than was previously thought.
Children whose mothers take Zoloft, Prozac, or similar antidepressants during pregnancy are twice as likely as other children to have a diagnosis of autism or a related disorder, according to a small new study, the first to examine the relationship between antidepressants and autism risk.
A report from Canadian researchers published Monday says there is not enough sound evidence to support routine screening of children for autism, but several autism experts are questioning the paper's conclusions.
Students with ADHD can benefits from a coach as Ninette Sosa explains in the Health Minute.
The proportion of children and teens in the U.S. who have a developmental disability such as autism has increased 17% since the late 1990s, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers believe the number of children who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is much higher than previously believed, according to a new study published Monday in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
A quick and simple questionnaire given to parents during a regular checkup in a pediatrician's office may help detect autism in children as young as 1 year old, a new study suggests.
Whether it's to a swimming pool or a doughnut store, Michael Browne knows where he wants to go -- and since he doesn't have the words to say so, he'll just dart off.
Schools, parents, teachers and educators can no longer afford to turn a blind eye when it comes to the bullying of American children, and particularly for those children who happen to be disabled.
The controversy over the existence of a link between autism and vaccines is not likely to end, even after the only study to imply such a link has been discredited, retracted and called an "elaborate fraud."
Journalist Brian Deer says Andrew Wakefield's autism study was a fraud and that he should face criminal charges.
The controversy surrounding a retracted study that linked autism to childhood vaccines has been fueled by the fact that no one knows what really causes autism.
The father of two autistic children responds to the fraudulent autism study claims.
Report: A now-retracted study linking autism to childhood vaccines was an "elaborate fraud" creating lasting damage.
For Carlton Davis, "the" always seemed to come out as "hte." Frequently having problems in school, he once threw a typewriter out of his fourth-floor window at college after making the "hte" mistake yet again.
I have just been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, but I am questioning the diagnosis since I feel that I don't exhibit most of the symptoms. I mean, I do get distracted while I am working on my research or studying, but I feel everyone gets distracted just as I do. How is normal distraction different from ADHD?
If your child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it's not because he or she played too many video games, logged multiple hours of TV viewing, or ate the wrong kinds of foods. In fact, researchers think the cause of ADHD is largely genetic. But it is tempting to look for dietary factors that could be making symptoms worse.
Young children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are roughly four times more likely than their peers to become depressed or attempt suicide in later childhood, a new study suggests.
Before Wendy Radcliff agreed to marry Scott Finn, she made it clear they would have to live in her home state of West Virginia.
As a toddler, Ian Barrier got expelled from day care.
Aditi Shankardass explains how an EEG device revealed mistaken diagnoses in children who have developmental disorders.
Far too often, children with developmental disorders are diagnosed solely on the basis of their observable behavior, slotted into broad diagnostic pigeonholes and provided generalized treatments that may not always meet their specific needs.
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen explains how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could be linked to pesticides.
Children exposed to higher levels of a type of pesticide found in trace amounts on commercially grown fruit and vegetables are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than children with less exposure, a nationwide study suggests.
In a scene from NBC's "Parenthood," two parents are attempting to get their 8-year-old son ready for school. The child insists on wearing a pirate costume to class, again. His father asks him to take it off so he won't get teased. His mother says it's OK, mainly so she can get him out the door on time.
The Lancet is retracting a study that linked vaccines and autism. Elizabeth Cohen reports.
Emerson Donnell III had heard that 80 percent of marriages that include a child with autism end in divorce. And he felt certain it would happen to him.
Figuring out what's cool. Struggling for acceptance. Dealing with homework. These are familiar perils of middle school. But Haley Moss did it all while dealing with a hidden challenge: autism.
Temple Grandin, an autistic professor, speaks with CNN after her recent TED talk. She says being autistic is a blessing.
Like many parents, Shannon Kinninger spends a lot of time chauffeuring her children around town.
A federal court ruled Friday that the evidence supporting an alleged causal link between autism and a mercury-containing preservative in vaccines is unpersuasive, and that the families of children diagnosed with autism are not entitled to compensation.
A Vanderbilt study looks at a new, but unproved, occupational therapy that helps some autistic children learn to speak.
When Ryan Wallace got a diagnosis of autism at age 2, his parents never thought they'd hear him speak.
For Mary Calhoun Brown, the term "Asperger's" is crucial to conveying to schools that although her 15-year-old son has had social difficulties, he has a near-genius IQ and great speaking ability.
A new study finds the risk of having a child with autism increases with a mother's age.
A 10-year study examining 4.9 million births in the 1990s has found more evidence that there's a link between autism and the mother's age at conception.
The retraction of a controversial study that suggested a link between autism and a childhood vaccine has been little comfort to Joe Dimino.
The medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday retracted a controversial 1998 paper that linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism.
You might not know it to read the news of the discredited research that had long linked vaccines to autism, but there really is good progress on the autism research front.
I have a milder form of autism (Asperger's syndrome). Are there certain jobs that I cannot do after I get out of college? What are the jobs that I will not be able to do?
A new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that one in 110 children in the United States had autism in 2006.
The CDC releases new numbers showing that there are more kids with autism. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports.
Researchers have shown for the first time that if a child is diagnosed with autism as early as 18 months of age, offering the toddler age-appropriate, effective therapy can lead to raised IQ levels and improved language skills and behavior.
Alisa Rock, whose 10-year-old son Connor has autism, says parents of autistic children often align themselves with one of two camps: There are those who believe that genes cause the disorder, and those firmly convinced that environmental factors are to blame.
The CDC is now reporting one in 91 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Alina Cho reports.
The sun has yet to rise over the oak trees that line this windy road in Carmel Valley, a sleepy town in Northern California's wine country, when Anthony Kennedy Shriver steps on to a makeshift stage with his sister Maria Shriver while nearly 1,500 bicyclists watch from below. They are preparing to kick off the Audi Best Buddies Challenge, a 100-mile bike ride from Carmel down to San Simeon along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway to raise money and awareness for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
When Katy Wilson was born with Down syndrome, doctors told her mother that the infant likely would never walk or talk.
Unbeknownst to her parents, Sydney Kirk tried a little medical experiment on herself when she was in the eighth grade. For a day or two, every so often, she stopped taking her drugs for her attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
British man Gary McKinnon appeared in court Tuesday to try to prevent his extradition to the United States, where he is wanted for allegedly hacking into U.S. government computers at the Pentagon and NASA.
A disabled punk band has launched a campaign to fight for the rights of disabled people to be able to party late.
Graduation day at a New York City school for autistic children is a coming-of-age moment years in the making.
Your desk is a mess, and you can forget about completing your to-do list -- you don't even have one. Your mind darts from one thought to the next. And that handbag you've been madly searching for on your way out the door? Yes, it's already on your shoulder.
Thomas the Tank Engine, whose television adventures on the fictional island of Sodor have delighted children around the world for years, is now on a real-life mission to help kids with autism.
The size of a specific part of the brain may help experts pinpoint when autism could first develop, University of North Carolina researchers report.
A new study links the size of a toddler's brain and autism. Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.
Heather Moores and her 4-year-old son, Julian, sat in a waiting room at a pediatrician's office.
William Searing is an Eagle Scout who loves hiking, adventure, art and sports. At age 19, he's in an education program that bridges the gap from high school to getting a job. Wil has autism.
CNN.com's Elizabeth Landau and Naamua Delaney discuss Applied Behavior Analysis and what it means for those with autism.
For 8-year-old Ryan Mohar, an elevator isn't just an elevator. He spends hours pressing the buttons and riding up and down, preferring this to the slew of alternatives that his teachers offer -- even candy.
When Bruce Gutlove holds up his vineyard's finest bottle of chardonnay, he sees the clarity, senses the anticipated crisp taste, and savors the hard summer of tending to his grapes.
American winemaker Bruce Gutlove has a world-class winery with a staff of autistic workers. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.
Early intervention is key in helping autistic children and the right teacher can make a difference. CNN's Judy Fortin reports
I found out I have ADD in July. I started out on methylphenidate 5 mg but had violent nightmares and chest pain. I was then switched to bupropion SR 150 but it kept me awake most of the night. I am on Strattera 80 mg since October and I still don't feel like it is working. I can tell a difference if I don't take it but I'm still having concentration problems and forgetting things or losing things. If I try Adderall, will I have [the] same side effects as methylphenidate?
Children with eczema are more likely to also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than those without the skin problem, according to a study.
A special court's Thursday ruling that no proven link exists between autism and certain early childhood vaccines seems to have done little to change the sometimes-passionate opinion fueling the debate.
CNN's Campbell Brown weighs in on childhood vaccinations and autism.
CNN's Campbell Brown encourages parents to get their kids vaccinated after a court said they're not to blame for autism.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a court ruling that finds no link between vaccines and autism.
A special court ruled Thursday that evidence presented in three cases by parents of children with autism did not prove a link between autism and certain early childhood vaccines.
At 13, Michelle Cedillo can't speak, wears a diaper and requires round-the-clock monitoring in case she has a seizure. While her peers go to school or the mall or spend time with friends, the Yuma, Arizona, teenager remains at home, where she entertains herself with picture books and "Sesame Street" and "Blue's Clues" DVDs.
The Bilson family is like many other families: three kids, a cat, and a small, lovely home with lots of family photos and carved wooden wall signs with sayings like "Live, Laugh, Love."
Children who are born more than three months premature have double the expected rate of autism at age two as full-term children, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Pediatrics.
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