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Seattle is a boom town.

From manufacturing to tech, some of the world's biggest companies have brought jobs and wealth to the region.

But that comes with real growing pains.

I'm Joshua McNichols.

And I'm Monica Nicholsberg.

We host Booming, a podcast that helps you make sense of the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest.

From the big budget projects on Seattle's to-do list to the artificial intelligence age, we get into the stories that hit your wallet and our region. Listen now on the KOWW app or wherever you get podcasts.

Hey, good morning, Patricia Murphy here. It's Saturday. This is Seattle now. Today we're bringing you the best from the KUOW Newsroom. We'll start with a story on how the federal attitude toward autism is showing up locally. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced what he thinks are at least one cause

and one cure for autism. But autism researchers say there's not enough evidence to back those

claims. It's mostly caused by genetics and there are no pills to cure the condition. What's needed

are early diagnosis and early interventions.

Elish O'Neill has this story.

When Marianne Brian's kids were four, eight, and 12 years old, she had no idea they were autistic.

But she did know they were struggling.

There were meltdowns.

One of the children banged their head against the floor. Having a child who was a kindergartener was suicidal.

It was probably the most traumatic thing I've ever experienced in my life.

It's still incredibly hard to even think about it.

Because there are absolutely no resources.

Brian went to the school, the family doctor, and a psychologist. No one knew how to help.

I was like, I'm done. There has to be something. Brian says when she finally got diagnoses for her

...