Child vaccine. (File Photo)

    BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Testimony resumed Monday to hear a U.S. case in which two parents believe vaccines has caused their two 10-year-old boys to develop autism, according to media reports Tuesday.

    The two boys from Portland, Ore., will serve as test cases to determine whether many of the children and their families should be compensated. Attorneys for the boys will attempt to show the boys were happy, healthy and developing normally -- but, after being exposed to vaccines with thimerosal, they began to regress.

    If the parents' appeal successful, the families could receive compensation for past and future medical expenses, special education expenses and up to 250,000 U.S. dollars for pain and suffering, among other monies.

    Overall, more than 5,300 cases have been filed by parents who believe vaccines may have caused autism in their children and are seeking payment under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a no-fault system that pays out for vaccine injuries.

    Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others.

    The theory that vaccines or thimerosal can cause autism is not accepted by many medical experts, including the Institute of Medicine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Multiple scientific studies also have not proved a link.

    Lynn Ricciardella, a Justice Department lawyer, said that theory has not moved beyond the realm of speculation. "There is no scientific debate," Ricciardella said. "The debate is over."

    But Powers, speaking with reporters during a midday break, said the government's defense rests largely on research done no later than 2004.

    (Agencies)