RJA #2b: Research Topic

I chose autism in children as my research topic. I chose this as my topic because I worked at a daycare a few summers ago in a class of two year olds and one of the boys was autistic. He was a very unique child and I eventually formed a bond with him even though the other teachers were convinced he was a lost cause. Because of him, I hope to someday work with autistic children. I also feel that many people are not familiar enough with autism but, because the disability is becoming more and more common, people should be.
What I know about autism is what I learned while working with the little autistic boy that summer. Autistic children are very focused and seem to have a one-track mind as they will focus very hard on one thing. They are easily frustrated when they cannot accomplish what they have set their minds on accomplishing and they are fans of repetition. They do not like to interact with other children or people very often unless it is on their terms and affection is rarely shown. Although they have an abnormality, they are by no means unintelligent. I also know that the official cause for autism is undetermined and that there is no way to diagnose autism other than recognizing the symptoms.
Through this research, I want to learn what the possible causes of autism are. I want to know why or why not each possibility is plausible. I want to know what research is being done to come up with a definite way of preventing and of diagnosing the disability. I think that without these tools autism will become the next ADD/ADHD and will become grossly over-diagnosed.