Autism has been rapidly increasing such that approximately 1 out of 166 people has autism today. Some estimates are as high as 1 in 150 people <ref>http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/faq_prevalence.htm</ref>, and it has been rising. Among boys, 1 in 94 has the disorder. In New Jersey, which has the highest rate in the nation, 1 in every 60 boys has autism and 1 in every 94 children is affected.
Many parents, politicians and some researchers cite a [[mercury]] preservative used in vaccines, thimerosolthimerosal, as the cause of injury in many recipients, including a cause of increase in autism rates. Thimerosol Thimerosal is a inorganic form of mercury that has widely been used as a vaccine preservative, and still is despite widespread calls for its removal. Most of the influenza vaccines contain thimerosal equivalent to 25 micrograms of toxic [[mercury]], an amount that would be safe under [[EPA]] limits only if the recipient weighs 550 pounds.
Autism is a spectrum disorder which means there is a range in how it effects different people. Every child is also different. There is the fragile x syndrome, [[Asperger's syndrome]], pdd nos, mild autism, moderate autism, severe autism, and some [[idiot savants]]. Autistic children will not all act like the character portrayed in the movie ''[[Rain Man]]''. Nor are all autistic children uncaring or unable to show emotion, in fact many are very caring.