CNBC: Power Lunch (12:30pm) and Closing Bell (4:45pm) The Autism Double Whammy: Paying the emotional and financial price.

Parents battle for medical coverage / Many insurers withholding payment for therapy - Thomas Hiltajczuk may look like a typical 4-and-a-half-year-old. He loves to play with his sister, jump on his trampoline and watch The Wiggles. But Thomas is anything but typical. He doesn't speak and he can't tolerate crowds or changes in his routine. Thomas is autistic.  By Sue Herera

Power Lunch (12:30pm) and Closing Bell (4:45pm) Research and funding

Autism research focuses on early intervention / Genetic clues sought in fight against disorder.  One of the few things everyone in the autism community agrees on is the value of early intervention — the earlier the better. So imagine if autism could be diagnosed in the first few months of life, or even at birth. That's the goal of some promising new autism research co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the National Alliance for Autism Research. - By Sue Herera

Power Lunch (12:30pm) - Serving the growing population of autistic children

CNBC: Closing Bell (4:45pm) - Vernon Smith, 2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics, discusses his personal challenges with Asperger Syndrome

Mild autism has 'selective advantages' / Asperger Syndrome can improve concentration - What happens when children with autism grow up? It may sound paradoxical, but some with the mildest form, Asperger Syndrome, may turn out to be stars.  People with Asperger's often have extreme difficulty interacting socially, preferring to focus on narrow fields of interest. But often they're able to pursue those interests with great intensity. Geniuses throughout history, including Albert Einstein, Andy Warhol and Emily Dickinson, have all been thought to have had Asperger's. And now Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith has decided to speak openly about what he calls the deficiencies and the selective advantages of Asperger's. By Sue Herera

Power Lunch (12:30) and Closing Bell (4:45) - Vocational training for autistic teenagers

Power Lunch - NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright of Autism Speaks announces new public awareness campaign

Autism Speaks' awareness campaign / NBC Universal CEO - Bob Wright announces organization's launch - In the world of autism, parents play a crucial role. They not only care for their children, but they’ve been instrumental in building awareness and in raising funds. “We'd like to say the funding (for autism research) is driven by our highest scientific ideals,” said Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. “In fact, what really helps drive the funding is to have parents who are informed and who are passionate and who are effective. And the autism community has been blessed by parent advocacy groups that have made a lot happen.”  By Sue Herera

NBC has received thousands of emails in response to this coverage.  Here are some of them.

Telemundo: (7pm-8pm) - "Autismo: Epidemia Silenciosa?": The show will provide viewers with
important information on the disorder and explain how families can seek treatment for their autistic children. KVEA anchor Lucia Navarro will serve as host of the program, which will also explore how the Hispanic community deals with autism and the social stigma that is often associated with mental illness.

Telemundo: (los 7pm-8pm) - "Autismo: ¿Epidemia Silenciosa?": La demostración proveerá de espectadores la información importante sobre el desorden y explica cómo las familias pueden buscar el tratamiento para sus niños autistic. El ancla Lucia Navarro de KVEA servirá como anfitrión del programa, cuál también explorará cómo la comunidad hispánica se ocupa de autism y del estigma social que se asocia a menudo a enfermedad mental.

Protests Against NBC Autism Series / Amy Nelson writes "NBC has had an autism series this season, comprising of documentaries, biographies, and medical information for their viewers. While pleasing and informing to some, the nature and perspective of the shows have disappointed and angered some members of the autistic community. - Many adults with autism and asperger's dislike the attitude that autism is a condition that requires a cure. They prefer to seek acceptance and wish to educate members of society that autism is not a disease, mental illness, or epidemic, but a neurological difference that can have benefits. Adults with autism are asking for help with services, housing, employment issues, but not for the miracle cure that some parents think would be best for their newly diagnosed children. Joe Mele, an autism rights activist who protested against the NAAR walk on Long Island in October, has protested again - this time against NBC's coverage of autism issues.  By Amy Nelson

NBC's Owned & Operated Stations: 7-8pm.  The 14 NBC stations of the NBC Universal Television Stations group will focus on the rising autism epidemic in a one-hour special. (Viewers should check their local program listings for individual airdates). Produced by KNBC in Los Angeles and hosted by anchor Michele Ruiz, the program will help educate viewers about the disorder and provide important information on possible causes, warning signs, treatments and therapies. The show also examines the enormous impact autism has on the entire family and documents one family's personal struggles, frustrations and triumphs as they care for their autistic son.

Is autism in the genes? Or the environment? / Researchers and families work together to try and get to the root of this developmental disorder - What causes autism? While the condition is not new, doctors and scientists are unsure of its exact causes. Scientists say genes may play a role, although no single gene or genes have been discovered to definitively cause autism so far. Others blame the child's pre- and postnatal environment. "Today" host Matt Lauer reports.

The Autism diagnosis and how to set up a treatment team The Michael Marino story: When early intervention works

The Marino family’s fight against autism / Football great Dan Marino and his wife, Claire, detail how they helped their child and how they’re now helping others

Autism Moves Dan Marino's Family To Action / Marino's Son Michael Diagnosed With Autism - The 1990 season was a banner year for Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. He led his team to a 12-4 season and a trip to the AFC divisional championship game. But his biggest battle that year had nothing to do with football. That's also the year when he and his wife, Claire, found out their 2½-year-old son Michael was autistic.  2½-year-old Michael Marino.  The Marinos remember what it was like when they first heard the news.  "I didn't know what it was," said Claire. "The doctor said it was autism. I just sort of listened to him. You don't know what to expect in the future. It's very overwhelming."  That's when the Marinos realized something had to be done to help other families dealing with the same issues. That led to the creation of the Miami Children's Hospital Dan Marino Center in Weston, a place that specializes in diagnosing and treating autism.  By NBC4.com

Educational programs for treating children with autism How autism affects the family and siblings

Autism's impact - Autism can bring families closer together, or sometimes break them apart. "Today" host Matt Lauer reports.

How to be an advocate for your child if they have autism Knowing the law in your community, and getting it to work for you

Bob and Suzanne Wright of Autism Speaks announce their Public Awareness Campaign Adults with Autism

Bob Wright: ‘I want my grandson back’ / The vice chairman of GE and chairman and CEO of NBC Universal talks about his family's personal crusade to cure autism - Autism is in the news, and it’s about time. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control launched a new education initiative designed to educate parents of young children about the early signs of developmental disorders such as autism. Among mainstream print media, The New York Times is following this story closely, publishing more than two dozen articles on autism in the past six months. Newsweek has made autism the cover story of its latest issue. NBC News has devoted significant airtime this week to exploring every aspect of this disorder, with reports on “Today,” “Nightly News,” CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, the owned NBC stations, as well as on this news Web site. Autism has also been featured recently in entertainment shows such as “Without a Trace” and “Scrubs.”

To share your opinion of the Today Show's autism coverage: Today@NBC.com

Autism resources, treatment and support

Children in the grip of autism / More families faced with a difficult diagnosis.  By Molly Masland

Dr. Pat Levitt, director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research discusses advances in the treatment of autism.

Finding answers - What is the cause of autism? Doctors and families with autistic children try to find answers. "Today" host Matt Lauer reports.

Lee Grossman, president & CEO of the Autism Society of America has a
17-year-old autistic son and shares his personal crusade in raising awareness and funding for autism.

Growing Up Healthy

Waging war on germs: What can parents do? • Reassuring news on 'test-tube' kids • Overparenting: When good intentions go too far • Are flu shots safe for young children? • Politics and parenthood

What's behind the increase?

Parents push for autism cure / Doctors credit parents for making research a priority - Portia Iverson and Jon Shestack learned their first child, Dov, had severe autism in 1995, when he was almost three years old. "I just remember sitting by his crib and just crying and crying," says Portia. "He was slipping away, every minute."  Like all parents, they wanted to know what to do.  "So, we said, 'OK. What's there in medicine?' There wasn't anything in medicine," recalls Jon. "And then we said, 'Well, they must be doing research.' But there was no ‘They.' There just wasn't."  By Robert Bazell

What is ‘Autism Speaks?’

Gloria and Patrick Fay, parents of twin 7-year-old autistic boys, share
their personal story of living with autism.

Inside the autism treatment maze  / No single approach is best for every child - Every child who receives the diagnosis of autism may be different, but the families of those children face the same overwhelming challenge — finding the best treatment for the complex condition.  By Jane Weaver

Actor Anthony Edwards, honorary board member of Cure Autism Now

Coping with autism / Families connect to deal with the diagnosis - When Lisa and Alan Bryant of Dothan, Ala., had their son Jarrett, he was such an easy-going, low-maintenance baby that by the time he was 2 years old, Lisa had given birth to another son, Jacob. Then the family’s world changed drastically. Jarrett, now 7, had been diagnosed with autism.  By Victoria Clayton

As autism cases soar, a search for clues / Unclear if rise reflects modern threats or better diagnosis - Once a rare diagnosis, it seems there’s now an epidemic of autism sweeping the nation. Many of us know a child with the disorder, and concerned parents are searching for suspicious signs even in young babies. But while more kids are being labeled with autism, whether the condition is truly more common among today’s children than past generations of youngsters is largely unclear.

NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright

Bob Wright: ‘I want my grandson back’ / The vice chairman of GE and chairman and CEO of NBC Universal talks about his family's personal crusade to cure autism - Autism is in the news, and it’s about time. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control launched a new education initiative designed to educate parents of young children about the early signs of developmental disorders such as autism. Among mainstream print media, The New York Times is following this story closely, publishing more than two dozen articles on autism in the past six months. Newsweek has made autism the cover story of its latest issue. NBC News has devoted significant airtime this week to exploring every aspect of this disorder, with reports on “Today,” “Nightly News,” CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, the owned NBC stations, as well as on this news Web site. Autism has also been featured recently in entertainment shows such as “Without a Trace” and “Scrubs.”

Video games take on autism

Virtual world teaches real-world skills / Game helps people with Asperger's practice socializing - If home is where the heart is, then home for a dozen people with Asperger Syndrome could be a 16-acre island blessed with lush gardens and rolling green hills.  As part of her efforts to study autism, of Dr. Pinto-Martin has pioneered a screening program for toddlers designed to detect children at risk for autism as early as 18 months. The program relies on a standardized parental ques-tionnaire given by nurses in doctors' offices and has proven helpful in identi-fying children who need further evaluation by a developmental pediatrician to determine if they have autism.  By Tom Loftus

Robert Bazell reports on the reasons why autism has gone from a disorder no
one knew of a few decades ago to an exploding emergency affecting 1.7 million Americans and their families.

Autism cases on the rise nationwide / Experts say disorder affects as many as 1 in 166 children - Kahlil Russell seems like a normal, charming 7-year-old, but he has autism. He speaks only a few words and can quickly drift away to where no one — not even his parents — can reach him.

Robert Bazell revisits a California family that responded to their son's diagnosis by taking on the scientific establishment to make autism research a national priority.

Parents push for autism cure.  / Doctors credit parents for making research a priority - Portia Iverson and Jon Shestack learned their first child, Dov, had severe autism in 1995, when he was almost three years old.  By Robert Bazel

Robert Bazell reports on research at Yale University that reveals the inner
workings of the minds of people with autism by watching where their eyes focus while watching human interactions in movies and videos.  The movie “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is the centerpiece of a research program seeking to understand how people with autism perceive the world. NBC’s Robert Bazell reports.

Movies help doctors discover autistic minds / Cutting-edge research at Yale may help  with early detection - “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is a classic movie made in 1966, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis. It is now the centerpiece of a fascinating research program seeking to understand how people with autism perceive the world. Why this film? "It's a small cast of characters, [a] brilliant movie, very well-acted and intensely social," says Dr. Fred Volkmar at the Yale Child Study Center.  By Robert Bazel