Autism is an epidemic in America, affecting 1 out of every 59 children born in our country.

According to UNLV’s School of Medicine, despite years of warnings about the risks associated with drinking while pregnant, doctors across Southern Nevada are still reporting high rates of FASD, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Early diagnosis of fetal alcohol disease is the biggest challenge for addressing the syndrome in children who get in trouble and end up in the criminal justice system, a Clark County judge said at a UNLV panel Monday.

A love of science and the study of medicine fueled Dr. Rooman Ahad’s career and led her to a role as assistant professor of pediatric neurology at UNLV’s School of Medicine. She is now part of an effort to expand autism services in the Las Vegas Valley and raise awareness through education and events such as the Grant a Gift Autism Foundation Race for Hope 5K, which was run April 27 at UNLV.

Little Jason Sebron donned his black flat-bill baseball cap on a recent Wednesday — and for the first time, he didn’t scramble to take it off.

Actress Pia Zadora wants families in the Las Vegas Valley dealing with autism to know that “it’s going to get better.” Zadora is a supporter of the new UNLV Medicine Ackerman Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Solutions, 630 S. Rancho Drive, Suite A, which opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 13.