HEALTH REPORT - Study Finds Autism Increase in California

HEALTH REPORT – November 6, 2002: Study Finds Autism Increase in California

By Jeri Watson

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Autism is a mysterious and complex brain disorder¹ that begins to affect a child during the first three years of life.

Children sometimes develop normally² for a year or more. Then they become unable to develop normal
relationships with other people. They do not act normally in everyday life. They stop speaking. They repeat
meaningless actions.

Some autistic children express violent anger or injure themselves. New drugs appear to help control aggressive
actions in severely³ autistic children. However, autism cannot be cured.

No one knows what causes autism. Some scientists suspect that genetic⁴ influences or injuries during birth may be
linked to the disorder.

A new study by American scientists in California has failed to explain a major increase in autism in the state.
California lawmakers ordered the study after learning⁵ of an increase of almost three-hundred percent in severe
cases of autism. The California Department of Developmental Services said this increase took place between
nineteen-eighty-seven and nineteen-ninety-eight. The department also said the number of autistic children
continued to increase after that period.

Robert Byrd of the University of California at Davis led the study. His team gathered information about almost
seven-hundred children in the state. One group of children was from seven to nine years of age. The other
children were seventeen to nineteen years old. More than half of the children suffered from severe autism. The
others were mentally retarded⁶. They had very low levels of intelligence. The researchers said the information
about the children did not explain the increase in autism cases.

Before the study, some experts blamed the increase in cases on better recognition⁷ of the disorder. Others said the
number of cases was incorrectly reported. Doctor Byrd said a general increase in the state’s population caused
about ten percent of the increase in cases.

Doctors say that autistic children should receive intensive⁸ training while they are young. The experts suggest
repeated training in performing small jobs. They say such training can help an autistic child develop more
normally and lead a better quality of life.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Jerilyn Watson.

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1 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

2 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

5 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

6 retarded   

a.智力迟钝的，智力发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• The progression of the disease can be retarded by early surgery. 早期手术可以抑制病情的发展。
• He was so slow that many thought him mentally retarded. 他迟钝得很，许多人以为他智力低下。

7 recognition   

n.承认，认可，认出，认识

参考例句：

• The place has changed beyond recognition.这地方变得认不出来了。
• A sudden smile of recognition flashed across his face.他脸上掠过一丝笑意，表示认识对方。

8 intensive   

adj.加强的，密集的；精工细作的，集约的

参考例句：

• I'll make an intensive study of a subject.我将集中学一门课程。
• There we received several weeks of intensive training.在那里我们受了几星期的集中训练.