Scientists claim to have found the first important link between autism and DNA. Autism, a troubling behavioral disorder in many humans, affects more than half-a-million Britons. A major cause of the developmental sickness is found to be the alterations in the genetic make-up of autistic children, as revealed by the researchers. Now, based on counteracting the fundamental errors in a patient's genetic code, the new inventions and findings can give early diagnostic tests for autism and new forms of treatment.

Stephen Scherer, of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and one of the lead authors of the study published in Nature, said their results substantiate the importance of genes as susceptibility factors in autism.

In addition, the results will lead to a paradigm shift when it comes to understanding the root causes of autism.

“We find that the genetic variations we discovered are actually rare in their frequency, meaning that most individuals with autism are actually probably genetically quite unique, each having their own genetic form of autism”, Stephen said.

Besides, a caution has been issued by the scientists admitting that their research is still preliminary and that many more years will be needed to conduct a thorough examination in order to recognize and treat the genetic modifications that boost an individual's vulnerability to this disorder.