Amy Baker was worried. Her youngest son, Braden, was 18 months old and had yet to utter his first word.
Doctors first thought Braden had hearing problems, at one point pronouncing him moderately to severely deaf. Three subsequent testing sessions, however, proved that the boy's hearing was just fine.
"We were wondering what was going on," Baker said.
At the recommendation of the boy's pediatrician, Baker had Braden evaluated for autism spectrum disorder. When the diagnosis came back positive, she had Braden's older brother, Bryson, evaluated, too.
"After learning more about it, we decided my oldest had a lot of the same symptoms," she said.
Today, Bryson is 4 and Braden is 2 1/2. Both have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders — physical developmental disabilities that impair social interaction and communication.
Their mother, meanwhile, is doing what she can to increase autism awareness and boost funding for research into causes, prevention, treatment and a cure for the mysterious disorders.
Baker and Amanda Patten, a South Jordan mother of two boys with autism, have organized a Utah Walk Now for Autism event, set for Saturday at Cottonwood High School, 5715 S. 1300 East, Murray. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with the walk getting under way at 10 a.m.
About 3,000 people already have registered for the walk, sponsored by the Utah chapter of Autism Speaks.
Walks have taken place throughout the nation, last year allowing Autism Speaks to award $6.9 million in grants for autism research projects and fellowships. The nonprofit organization's Utah chapter will be seeking donations at the event.
In January, Baker and Patten set a fund-raising goal of $300,000. So far, they've raised about $220,000 for Autism Speaks.
"It's important that people are giving autism the attention it needs here in the state," Patten said.
Utah has the third highest rate of autism in the nation, affecting one in every 133 children. The national average is one-in-150 8-year-old children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.
"This is really a growing problem in Utah and across the nation," said Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker. "It is reaching, by some estimations, epidemic proportions in terms of what has happened in the increase in autism across the nation and particularly here in Utah."
Mayor Becker joined Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon at the county government complex Thursday to declare Saturday as Autism Awareness Day, citing Utah's high rate of autism and the need for early treatment services.
"We're honored to be here today to show concern for the families who have children with autism spectrum disorder, and we want to support them in the challenges they face," Corroon said.
Salt Lake County already supports the Pingree school for autistic children near the University of Utah, and early intervention screenings are offered through the county's health clinics, he said.
"Creating awareness is important," Corroon said.
Baker credits early intervention such as speech therapy as the reason for her boys' improvement. Developmentally, the boys both are about 18 months behind where they should be, she said.
Braden still struggles with communication, but he does have some words, Baker said. As for Bryson, his mother says he is able to carry on a conversation but chooses not to.
Early intervention also helped Patten's sons Connor, 9, and Nathan, 7. Connor now attends third grade with his peers, while Nathan takes part in a "cluster unit" of high-functioning autism students in the Jordan School District.
"The sooner you start (getting help) the better off you are," Patten said.
E-mail: jpage@desnews.com