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National & International

Metro & State

Alabama's Prison Problem
Local Government with Kyle Whitmire
Interview with Education Reformer Michelle Rhee
How Much Do You Know About Charter Schools?
Legislature Considers Immigration Law Tweaks
State Lawmakers Consider Education Reforms
Magic City Marketplace
The Jefferson County Sound
Capitol Journal Update
WBHM Education Desk
WBHM Partners with Alabama Public Television
The January 2012 Tornado
John Archibald
Charter Schools: None in Alabama, but May Change Soon
Tapestry - January 2011
Bards of Birmingham
Remembering UAB Legend Gene Bartow
Local Government with Kyle Whitmire
Home Energy Efficiency
Farm Guest Workers
Officers Pepper-Spraying Birmingham Students
Magic City Marketplace
Mo Rocca: A Life on Stage
Despite Successful Fundraising, Imagination Library Still On Hold
Imagination Library Cut in JeffCo
The Reconstruction of Asa Carter
John Archibald
Icelanders in the Magic City
Bring Your Own Parts
News Features Archive

The rate of autism has skyrocketed ten-fold in the last two decades. Researchers now estimate that one in every 166 children has some sort of Autism Spectrum Disorder. A study in this month?s issue of Pediatrics documents the rise in autism. It finds a particular jump in kids born between 1987 and 1992. UAB professor Russell Kirby studies autistic kids in Alabama. In the latest installment in our year-long mental health project, WBHM?s Tanya Ott asked Kirby whether the jump in autism rates is because there are more autistic kids ? or because doctors are getting better at recognizing the symptoms.

Listen to the on-air interview

Listen to the extended interview

-- Tanya Ott, March 9, 2005

Editor's note: This is the latest story in a year-long commitment to covering mental health issues in Alabama. You can learn more about our "Making Sense of Mental Health" project and find local mental health resources -- as our commitment continues throughout the year -- inside this website.

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Making Sense of Mental Health

Autism Society of Alabama

Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program - has downloads for the booklets "Special Education in Alabama" and "The ABC's of IEP's"

Autism Speaks, which is working to develop a central database of 10,000+ children with autism