Unit 2: Post 14, (March 9, 2009)

Author's Note For First Draft:

While this is a first draft of my paper, I have attempted to make it as close to the final product as possible; I don't anticipate having to make too many corrections to it. I think this draft turned out as well as I was wanting. The only thing that concerns me is the length of it. It is just over 10 pages and the cut-off was 10 pages. I mainly would like any input on areas that could be shortened so I can stay within the page limits. Also, I'd appreciate any feedback, positive or negative as the case may be, that you guys wish to give me.

Importance of my topic for the community:

Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder at this point in time. If you don't have someone close to you affected by it, within the next ten years that could change. I am personally impacted by this topic as I wish to work with autistic children as a Speech-Language Pathologist.

It is important that we attempt to identify the cause of this disorder and perhaps even find a cure for it since so many children are being diagnosed. I know the families who are watching their children regress want to find out why this is happening to them. Some families continue to feel that the vaccinations are the cause, despite being shown evidence otherwise. As technology continues to improve, perhaps we will be able to definitvely say what the cause is. We have already isolated some genes that could be responsible and as more research is done into this, we may just be able to find a way to stop the spread and perhaps even cure it.