CDC Plans Largest-Ever Study on Autism

Associated Press
October 7, 2006 12:13 a.m.

ATLANTA -- The largest federal study to date into the causes of autism was
announced Friday -- a multi-state investigation that will involve 2,700
young children.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and five other research
centers will study the youngsters over five years. The research is designed
to ferret out any genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to
autism.



"The CDC hasn't funded a study like this [before]," said Diana Schendel, the
CDC lead health scientist who is overseeing the Georgia research.

But some parents of autistic children say the CDC -- which promotes
childhood vaccinations -- is not interested in fully exploring vaccinations
as a potential cause.

"We don't want the CDC to do anything. We don't trust them," said Wendy
Fournier, president of the National Autism Association.

Autism is a complex disorder usually not diagnosed in children until after
age 3. Symptoms can include repetitive behaviors such as head-banging,
avoiding physical or eye contact with others, and communicating with
gestures rather than words.

In 2000, Congress directed federal health officials to increase research
into autism. The law prompted a series of CDC studies, including prevalence
research released in May that found 300,000 U.S. children have been
diagnosed with autism.

The new study will recruit 900 children diagnosed with autism, 900 with
undefined or other developmental problems, and 900 randomly selected
youngsters.

Those studied will be ages 2 to 5, in part because health records and
memories will be more complete, Dr. Schendel said.

That decision will limit the study's ability to assess the past impact of
vaccinations that contain the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, she
acknowledged. Since 2001, thimerosal has been removed from shots recommended
for young children.

Ms. Fournier's group suspects that ingredient is a leading cause of the
disorder, although past research suggests it is not.

Researchers will examine the medical records of the children and their
parents, and will take cheek swabs and blood and hair samples, Dr. Schendel
said.

The CDC awarded the other participating institutions $5.9 million for the
study. They are the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute in California, the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Johns Hopkins
University in Maryland, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
the University of Pennsylvania.

Until Friday's announcement, the largest federal study to focus specifically
on autism's causes was research sponsored by the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences, looking at 1,000 California children ages 2
to 5. That study is still in progress.