INDIANAPOLIS -- Dansen Pierce screams at the top of his lungs. It's a sound that the child's mother cherishes.

"Whatever little sound he articulates, we throw a huge party. It's the greatest thing that ever happened," Michelle Pierce said.

Dansen was diagnosed with autism shortly after he turned 2.

"He lost all of his language and he no longer tried to articulate anything. It's just like he sort of checked out," Pierce said.

Autism remains a medical mystery, yet the wide spectrum of neurological disorders affects 1 in 126 kids in Indiana.

Autism takes center stage in the premiere episode of ABC's new drama "Eli Stone." In the episode, a lawyer argues in court that a vaccine made a child autistic.

The episode drew fire from some pediatricians.

"We don't want it to appear that the vaccines cause autism and we don't want people to stop vaccinating their children because of that," said Dr. Michelle Saysana, a pediatrician with Clarian Health.

Saysana is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, one of the medical groups concerned about the show's fictional storyline.

"We don't want parents to stop vaccinating kids," Saysana said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children who aren't vaccinated would be put at risk for illness, disability and even death.

But some parents and lawmakers believe a link exists between autism and thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once used in vaccines.

"The rate of autism since mercury has been out of the vaccine has stayed the same or actually gone up a little bit," Saysana said.

Saysana contributes the increase in autism rates to better awareness.

"We probably pick it up more now because we're aware of it and we do a better job of screening for it," she said.

The Indianapolis pediatrician told 6News Staying Healthy reporter Stacia Matthews that concerned parents should discuss their child's immunizations with their doctors.

Although the medical group asked ABC to cancel Thursday night's show, the program will air as scheduled. But the network agreed to air a disclaimer and a link to the CDC's autism Web site.