Could toxin exposures that occur prenatally be the reason that autism rates have skyrocketed in leading industrial countries? Some believe so, including many toxicologists, endocrinologists and leading pediatricians such as Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, professor of pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Having recently authored an article for medical journal Current Opinion, Dr. Landrigan cites specific studies that support this theory.

Dr Nancy Snyderman discusses the controversy surrounding many parents refusal to vaccinate their children with the H1N1 vaccine, and the hysteria believed my many that vaccines are linked to autism. She goes as far as to call some parents "crazy".

Fearful of liability and possibly consequences, some doctors may refuse to treat children that forgo vaccinations. ABCNews recently told the story of Catherine Echan and what she experienced with her pediatrician after she sought to let her newborn go unvaccinated. Echan has an older son on the autism spectrum.

Being led by Jonathan Sebat, Ph.D., an international team of researchers are conducting studies on their recent discovery of a mutation on human chromosome 16 that substantially increases risk for schizophrenia. These findings are similar to studies done on the same chromosomal region in 2007 when researching autism.

New discoveries by Duke University researchers pinpoint changes in the functionality of DNA that may give insight to the roots of autism. "In samples of blood and brain tissue the methylation status of specific nucleotides in the oxytocin receptor was significantly higher in someone with autism, about 70 percent, compared to the control population, where it is about 40 percent" said co-lead author Simon G. Gregory, Ph.D.,

Researchers at the University of Utah along with other international researchers have discovered another possible genetic link to autism. Multiple mutations near the semaphorin 5a gene (SEMA5A) could be a possible genetic factor in autism. This gene plays an important role in the creation of a protein that is involved in the development of neurons, and the mutations can vary from one person to the next.

More and more findings are showing that autism is not just a neurological disorder but one that affects more areas of the body than first suspected. Findings in the gut and the immune system have also been noted. Teams of neuroscientists, toxicologists and other professionals are combing over findings in many areas including food allergies, abnormal placenta growth and inflamed brain tissue to come with viable medications that may assist in aiding autism.

Can toxins such as PCBs and PBDEs be the key to autism? Can these environmental toxins which are used in day to day products (such as fire retardants) be passed through breast milk from mother to child? Some experts think so.

A recent finding that seems to be well timed with the upcoming Swine Flu vaccinations later this fall speculates that mental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia are a result of maternal flu infection during pregnancy.

The debate over autism and vaccines will undoubtedly be around for a very long time. Deborah Kotz, Senior writer for U.S. News & World Report admittedly paid little attention to vaccinations until her daughter was to receive the Gardasil shot. This made her step back and review a bit more than she had in the past, leading to a roundtable discussion with the American Academy of Pediatrics