This site is being phased out. We encourage you to update your bookmarks and go to that address for the latest updates. Autism is a neurological disorder that is characterized by impairments in language, cognitive and social development.
Symptoms usually manifest in the first two years of life.
Autism now ranks third among childhood developmental disorders, making it more common than Down s syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis and Cystic Fibrosis. Initially thought to be psychiatric in nature, autism was attributed to a child s exposure to an uncaring or refrigerator mother. Currently, autism is undergoing more scientific scrutiny and as a result, abnormalities in the immune, gastrointestinal and neurological systems have been documented. Another abnormal finding is the presence of heavy metal toxicity, notably mercury, in autistic children. When considering a source for exposure to mercury in the first two years of life, one possible source is immunizations.