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WRENTHAM

At 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, Owen Dhillon, with his thick, brown hair and dark, flashing eyes, made for great family photographs, pointing at things that caught his interest and flashing his beaming smile.

At 18 months, with his apple cheeks marred by red patches of exzema and his personality withdrawn, Owen's life was no longer a happy picture. He simply stared out the window and eyed things strangely.

Owen was diagnosed with autism at 18 months following a series of antibiotics and immunizations, which Owen's parents, Denise and Rubin Dhillon, believe caused his regression into autism.

Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism also is considered to be the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the United States, with more children expected to be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined.

Fortunately for the Dhillon family, research about autism is helping Owen to progress once again among his peers rather than to remain stagnant in an institution, as his parents were originally told would be the case.

To help their son and the one in every 166 children who are diagnosed with autism, the Dhillons will be walking in the Greater Boston Walk for Autism Research at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

The National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and Autism Speaks recently merged operations under the Autism Speaks banner and are working together to expand the alliance's existing national Walk program.

All proceeds from the event benefit Autism Speaks, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of autism and raising money to fund autism research.

The Dhillons will be among an estimated 150 area residents and thousands of others who will join together to raise funds for scientific research and to increase awareness about autism.

"Our family, friends and teachers will be walking on Oct. 15th to help raise money for Autism Speaks to fund biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism spectrum disorders," Denise Dhillon said. "Our team name is 'Owed to Owen.' We feel it is owed not only to him, but to all children with this disorder to give them the answers they deserve and prevent other children from having to go through what these children and families go through on a day-to-day basis."