When Cara Culver suspected her 2-year-old daughter Judith might have autism, she didn't listen to the advice of the first doctor she visited.

Culver, who lived in Valencia, Spain, at the time with Judith, her husband Alex and their son Marc, now 5, said the number of children diagnosed with autism, a neurological disorder that impairs social and language development, is not as high in Spain as it is in the United States.

"Over there, the doctors are reluctant to make a diagnosis of autism until a child is 6 years old and by then it's too late," Culver said. "The doctors over here were saying to do everything now."

Culver hopped on a plane with Judith and traveled to her native United States. She brought Judith to a pediatric neuropsychologist in Colorado, where her brother lives. When she received her daughter's diagnosis of autism, the family decided to move back to the U.S.

"It's so well known here," Culver said of the condition. "(Treatment) is expensive but it's available, and over there it's not even available."

Nine months after receiving the diagnosis, Alex Culver, a native of Spain, was transferred to Michigan and the family moved to Birmingham.

Culver was adamant that Judith receive treatment for her autism in the United States.

On the rise

Advocates are hoping to raise awareness of the condition that is rapidly increasing throughout the United States.

Today, one in 150 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism, making it the fastest growing developmental disability, according to the Autism Society of America. In the 1970s and 1980s, one in every 2,000 children in the U.S. had autism.

In the wake of the rising numbers, the Judson Center, a Royal Oak-based nonprofit human service agency, started offering autism services through its Autism Connections program in 2005.

Stephanie Harlan, Autism Connections director, said despite the growing numbers, there is still no definitive answer to what causes the disorder.

"I think the best answer for that is that it's a combination of genetic and environment," Harlan said. "It's not one thing or another."

Harlan said she thinks many people are realizing some children might have a predisposition for autism which is revealed when combined with environmental issues - vaccines, toxins or food preservatives, for example.

According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, evidence does not indicate there is a link between vaccines and autism. However, the CDC has stated it will continue to study the role of vaccines.

Parental concern has been on the rise as the number of autism diagnoses goes up, along with the number of immunizations given to children. In the 1980s, children received 10 vaccines by age 5. Today, they are given 36, many by age 2.

Harlan said parents who have concerns over immunizations should know there is a choice.

"It's their choice," she said. "Parents need to be educated before making that choice and they need to know all the details before they do this to their child. If you choose to do vaccines, you don't need to do them all at once. You can spread them out over time. There's definitely a safe schedule."

Harlan points out she is not anti-vaccine but does not believe there is a need for all that are offered to children.

On the lookout

It is not uncommon that some children develop later than others. Still, professionals say there are signs of autism to be aware of.

"It's not always through verbal communication," Harlan said. "If they are not pointing - pointing is huge in babies. They should be able to point at something and then look at their mom and dad."

Other signs include not responding to their name or playing inappropriately with toys.

"If they're not laughing or sharing enjoyment with people or if they want to play more with toys than with people," Harlan said. "Some kids with autism are more interested in playing with puzzles and watching videotapes over and over again."

Other stereotypical problems associated with autism include flapping their hands or never wanting anything to change.

There is help

Lori Warner, is the director of the HOPE Center at William Beaumont Hospital's Center for Human Development, which provides services to families of children with autism.

Warner said HOPE stands for Hands-On Parent Education.

"Families start off by working with our staff and the staff models all the interventions for the families to ensure they understand," She said. "And gradually, that teaching is faded back and the staffers are watching the parents give the program."

Staff and families work on language skills, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, play skills and functional communication.

Warner said it's important that parents do their homework when considering treatment for their child with autism.

"You're going to do everything under the sun to help your child and some of those things may not have any backing," she said. "Even though parents are going through stressful times, we encourage them to think like a scientist and try to find out, beyond one person's story, what science is behind this and what the likelihood is that my child will benefit from this treatment."

Seeing the light

Today, Judith is 4 years old. Thanks to the treatments her daughter received, Culver said she has seen vast improvements.

"At about six months after we started the treatment, she started playing with toys and she started using her first words," Culver said.

Judith's first word, her mother said, was "chip" for potato chips.

"The way you get them to request what they want is you never give them anything but hold what they want in front of them and model the word for them," Culver explained. "You say 'chips' and if she makes any attempt to say anything, you give her a chip and when it sounds more like 'chip,' you give her more.

"It's truly a slow and gradual (process)," she continued. "Just in the past two weeks, she's been making major improvements with language. Now she wants to tell me things. She'll see an airplane in the sky and say 'airplane.' She'll make eye contact with me and wants to show me the airplane."

Culver advises parents of children with autism to do whatever they can to treat their child.

"No one can assure you that your child will make progress but I would say to parents out there to do everything and also accept that their lives have changed," she said. "The sooner you accept the diagnosis and start finding the positive things about your child, despite the diagnosis, the better for everyone."