The first direct evidence that autism happens before birth, while the brain is developing - not from vaccinations - was released this week.

A Lancaster County native is the lead author of a study that was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

It may be the first step in determining the cause and then the cure of the disorder, he said.

The results of the study are big news in the autism world where many feared that vaccinations in early childhood may be the root cause of the neurological disorder.

"We examined several areas of the brain from children with autism," said Rich Stoner. "We found small areas of abnormal cells in parts of the brain associated with autism.

Stoner has a PhD and does his research at the University of California San Diego. He grew up near Millersville and is a 2001 graduate of Penn Manor High School.

"Ive always been interested in the application of technology to biomedical research and medicine," said Stoner whose father, Douglas, is the retired head of technology at Conestoga Valley School District. His mother Cindy, a science teacher, is retired from Penn Manor High School.

The study's findings are getting a lot of national attention mainly because austism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.

Theories that vaccinations or additives in food cause autisim have been floated for years.

Stoner said his research specifically shows that autism happens in the womb.

"These regions, called patches, support the idea that brain abnormalities in children with autism can be traced back to prenatal development," Stoner said.

"Up until this point we haven't really had a distinct finding in the brain itself related to autism, it's mostly been diagnosed through behavioral means or an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). These patches are the first big finding in regard to the brain itself and autism."

Dr. Michael Fueyo, director of the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, which is affiliated with Philhaven and located in East Petersburg, said the study confirms what most professionals working in the field of autism believe to be true.

"This is important additional evidence that reminds all of us that autism is a disorder of brain development and not a disorder of parenting. That's so important." Fueyo said.

Fueyo, a child psychiatrist, noted the center follows 1200 area children and adolescents with intellectual and other disabilities, it provides 500 new evaluations each year and works with the families of children with autism and other disorders.

A study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for 2010 showed 1 in 68 children, 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls.

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"For many years we've seen that the prevalance is clearly increasing," said Fueyo. "For one thing the definitions of autism have broadened, awareness has increased and the current thinking is there may well be environmental influences, but no one understands what those are at this point.

Kelly Bears, of Lititz, whose daughter, Halle, was diagnosed with autism in second grade, thinks the research is important and interesting.

"I would hope the research would progress quickly and help with an early intervention or a cure," she said.

The patches discovered by Stoner and his team were found specifically in areas governing speech and social skills, said Stoner, areas profoundly affected by the disorder.

Stoner explained his findings: "The human cortex, the wrinkly thing in your brain, is composed of six layers, those six layers develop gradually over time, mostly in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, so thinking about that and where we found the patches, we know that parts of the cortex of autistic children went through abnormal development during that time.

Stoner said if the defects causing autism occurred in the first year of life, when many vaccinations are given, the brain patches or defects would be much more diffused or spread out.

"I would say it's very strong evidence that this would not occur any other way than through prenatal development," said Stoner.

Stoner said researchers began asking the question about whether defects indicating autism could be seen in the brain.

"I led the second half of the project, focusing more on the data analysis, visualization, and presentation of findings," he said.

And his parents couldn't be prouder.

"I am so proud that by combining his passion for computer programming and his studies on neuroscience, Rich has been able to make a meaningful contribution to the study of autism," said his mother, Cindy.

He gave much credit to the two researchers, Maggie Chow and Maureen Boyle, who led the first half of the project, focusing on the initial experimental design, processing the tissue, and performing the section-by-section analysis.

Stoner said Eric Couchesne and Ed Lein are the senior authors on the paper who obtained grants for the experiments, oversaw the design, guided other investigators through the process and helped write the final version of the paper.

Patches of disorganization in the neocortex of children with autism - Summary video from Rich Stoner on Vimeo.