Missouri is getting some help battling autism as officials express worry about the increase of those diagnosed with the disease. Janet Farmer with the Thompson Center for Autism at the University of Missouri in Columbia says the question that has been driving research in the field of autism is: Why has the number of people diagnosed with austism gone up? Farmer says the number of people asking for services has increased 18% in the last year alone. Better diagnosis could be a factor, but Paul Law with the Kennedy Krieger Institute of Baltimore says more publications have been focusing on an increase in severe cases of autism and it would be difficult for those to be misdiagnosed. The Thompson Center for Autism and the Missouri Department of Mental Health are joining with the Kennedy Krieger Institute to enhance the Missouri Autism Project Registry and make it a national model. State Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Director, Bernard Simons, calls this a unique opportunity for the state. The on-line registry to be created will link families with researchers to improve treatment and help work toward a cure.

Related web sites:
Thompson Center for Autism