These results are the culmination of phase 1 of the Autism Genome Project, which began in 2002 with the sharing of samples and data from labs around the world. Phase 2 will follow up on the leads discovered in the first phase. The $14.5 million project will receive funding from various institutions such as the National Institutes of Health and Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to increasing the awareness of and finding a cure for autism spectrum disorders.
"Autism is a very difficult condition for families—communication is taken for granted by parents of healthy children but is so greatly missed by those with autistic children," says study co-author, Jonathan Green, a child psychiatrist at the University of Manchester in England. "We hope that these exciting results may represent a step on the way to further new treatments in the future."
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Add CommentI applaud this research, and that on Downs Syndrome in another article. As one who works regularly with children and young people with varying degrees of Autistic spectrum problems and seeing the struggle they go through to cope with everyday situations and relationships, if we can find ways to alleviate or even prevent these disabilities, many people will have much happier and more fulfilled lives.
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