FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY, Fla. - The fastest-growing disability in this country brought hundreds together in Southwest Florida. A national conference was held at FGCU on autism. It's a condition that affects 1 in 150 births.

Parents, teachers and doctors gathered to learn more about the disorder and treatment breakthroughs.

Experts talked about the genetic and environmental factors that may trigger autism.

Also up for discussion was how to detect if your child may have the disorder. Years ago it was common for children to go undiagnosed until age five. Now that people are more aware the disorder is being detected sooner.

Experts say that early intervention is key. "If we make an early intervention and identified it early on it can make a difference in what the eventual outcome is and I think study after study have shown that," explains Dr. Bob Hendren of the U.C. Davis Mind Institute.

Here are some of the symptoms of autism:
*A lack of babbling or speaking key words.
*Little to no eye contact.
*No response to their own name.