2.  Condition that affects a child’s ability to communicate and interact socially  1.5 million children in the United States are diagnosed with Autism  Cases of autism has risen by10-17% in the last number of years

3.  In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield proposed that vaccines could contribute to the cause, especially the MMR vaccine  Case was dismissed in 2011  Others thought that the thimerosal in vaccines caused mental disorders

4.  Thimirosal has been taken out of many vaccines but autism rates have stayed the same  Scientists believe that mutations in genes more likely cause autism  Environmental factors such as exposure to mercury, lead or polychlorinated biphenyls may cause autism

5.  http://www.everydayhealth.com/autism/vaccines-autism.aspx http://www.everydayhealth.com/autism/vaccines-autism.aspx  http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/autism/autism.htm http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/autism/autism.htm