MALVEAUX: If your teenagers have having babies in America, according to the CDC, there was an 8 percent drop between 2010 and 2011. About 3 percent of teenagers had children in 2011. That is an al time low. A researcher who studies teen pregnancy at Johns Hopkins University believes the reason is more teens are using birth control. For years, doctors have told women to take folic acid if they plan to get pregnant to prevent birth defects. Now, a new study finds folic acid might have another benefit. Elizabeth Cohen takes a look.</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: As autism rates grow, many parents are wondering is there anything they can do to help decrease the chances that their child will get autism. Well, really, there is not much out there that parents can do, which is why experts are so excited about this new study out of Norway. These researchers, they followed about 85,000 women during pregnancy and then they took a look at the children and followed up on them for many years thereafter. What they found is that very few of these children developed autism. It was less than half of 1 percent. But they did find something interesting. And that is that when the moms took folic acid early in their pregnancy, they were 39 percent less likely to have a child with autism. So these moms, they took folic acid supplements very early in the pregnancy, before the eighth week. That's before some women know they're pregnant, which is why doctors would recommend you actually start taking folic acid before you get pregnant. Now, this link between folic acid and decreasing the chances of getting autism, it is not solid, it's not for sure. More research needs to be done. But doctors do know that women should take folic acid supplements very early in their pregnancy to prevent spina bifida and other neural defects. It is a good idea to take the supplements anyways. It couldn't hurt and it certainly does help. Back to you.</s>MALVEAUX: Thanks. Victims of gun violence received a special honor at the State of the Union. We're going to talk to one of the honorees, up next.
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