There are many diseases and disorders that plague today's society, but one of the most serious of those is autism. Autism, "absorption in one's self or subjective mental activity," is a multifactorial disorder occurring in as many as one in 500 people. In fact, autism is the third most common developmental disability, affecting 400,000 people worldwide. Autism is a baffling disorder to the world of science and professionals. It affects so many individuals yet it is still to be identified with a specific cause or successful treatment.
             In the early 20th century the individuals displaying the characteristics of today's autism were labeled with schizophrenia. The inability to relate to others and function in social setting let scientists to believe that dementia was the only explanation. It wasn't until 1948 when Leo Kanner began to study this mysterious disorder more closely that the label autism was provided. Kanner describes autism as a "disorder that is the end product of several different disorders which share similar social, language and neurological abnormalities."
             There is no know specific cause for autism, but over the years the links between various forms of biological and neurological abnormalities of the brain have grown. Researchers have found that MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (position emission tomography) scans of autistic individuals often locate significant abnormalities in the brain, particularly in the cerebellum and in the size and number of cells within the brain. No psychological factors have been shown to cause autism. It is not a mental illness. One of the newest explorations in the etiological research is in the field of genetics. Sometimes there is a pattern that exists within families from generation to generation, suggesting a genetic link to autism. However, no specific gene has been identified as the "carrier" for autism. No one is certain why it occurs, yet autism is found in e...