Research released this month shows a vaccine once blamed by some for causing autism has little, if any, link.

And though the study provides relief for parents worried they inadvertently caused the disorder through childhood shots, it still leaves many Midlanders looking for treatment programs and a more definite answer.

"Hopefully it will disprove that one fraction of parents that refuse to have their children vaccinated because it causes autism," said Suzanne Bingham, a licensed social worker with the State Department of Health Services.

The study, which was done by the Department of Public Health in California from 1995 to 2007, analyzed the prevalence of autism and concluded since cases continued to significantly increase after the vaccine was discontinued in 2001 it was not a primary cause of the condition. When the study began, autism was found in 0.6 per 1,000 live births and in 2007 there were 4.1 cases of autism for every 1,000 live births, according to the research report.

Researchers say while the number rose in part because professionals have done a better job diagnosing the disorder, it also would not have risen so drastically after the vaccine was discontinued if it were a prevalent cause.

But even with these results, Bingham said, parents are still left with the question of how to modify irregular behaviors caused by this fairly unexplained condition.

She said Midland ISD offers life skills courses and for many children, such behavior and social skills therapies are often quite effective.

Dr. Michele Harmon, Midland ISD's special education director, said their staff is specifically trained to educate children with autism and they use four to five different methodologies to work with the children in conjunction with general and other specialized curriculum at the schools.

"When you have autism, making changes can be very difficult so we try and build schedules," Harmon said, describing how the district's autism facilitator works with parents and each school to anticipate the needs of autistic students before they occur.

As far as what causes autism, Harmon said, it's important research continues until a clear medical cause for the condition is found.

"In the grand scheme of things we have to educate children with disabilities," Harmon said, adding that regardless of what causes disorders, the district's main concern is to help children.

Ray Unterbrink, executive director at the Midland Association for Retarded Citizens, said these types of programs are the best way to treat symptoms of autism, which he said is not considered a medical condition and has no cure.

"It's prevalent everywhere," Unterbrink said. "The condition is one that is somewhat perplexing in that it doesn't fall clearly as a developmental or mental problem."

Unterbrink said researchers have tried to link autism from everything to a mother's failure to bond with the fetus in the womb to this vaccine, known as thimerosal, now disassociated with the disorder.

Melissa Knott, regional coordinator at the Parent's Resource Network's PEN project, a group that serves parents with children who have disabilities, said everyone who has a child with autism wonders whether it was caused by a vaccine at some point, but most don't stick with that conclusion so the recent research won't make a significant impact.

She said people with any autism spectrum disorders have to be told how to behave in each situation they encounter because they don't observe and pick up on behaviors like others do.

"Children with autism spectrum disorder are lifelong actors because they have to memorize their lines," Knott said, explaining when given time individuals often can train themselves to behave completely normally in any given situation.

Her son, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder, has been able to socialize and attend school like any other child with the help of early intervention and continual behavior therapy and breathing exercises.

She said such therapies can include anything from looking at photos and talking about new situations to learning how close to stand to someone, how to shake their hand and how loud to speak in any given environment.

"You can't write a prescription for autism," Knott said, explaining the necessity of these therapies.

Recently, other causes cited have been a common gene alteration associated with the disorder when passed from mothers to sons and found a chromosome abnormality linked to the disorder, though researchers in this study say the lost or damaged gene is not necessarily inherited, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Bingham said any research that explains the disorder is helpful for parents who often have felt at fault when they don't know how to handle autistic behaviors.

"In a lot of countries it's blamed on the parents," she said.

Knott said autistic individuals often will panic in new situations, which for some means throwing a temper tantrum even in their teens - an uncontrollable behavior she said often makes parents feel judged by onlookers who don't understand the condition.

Unterbrink said new research probably does throw off scares which may be circulating about the condition, but it's likely always going to exist in part of the population and it's learning how to deal with the condition that really can make the difference.

"If you talk to 100 different people who work with people who have autism," Unterbrink said. "You'll get 100 different opinions."