I have an autistic son, Alec. He is the joy of my life, but it took a long time to find joy again once Alec was diagnosed. But this much I know: God has a special and unique purpose for autistic children no less than that of any other child!
FACTS ABOUT AUTISM (from www.autismspeaks.org):
- 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
- 1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
- 67 children are diagnosed per day
- A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
- More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
- Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
- Autism costs the nation over $90 billion per year, a figure expected to double in the next decade
- Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
- Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
- There is no medical detection or cure for autism
Incidence vs. Private Funding
- Leukemia: Affects 1 in 25,000 / Funding: $310 million
- Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 20,000 / Funding: $175 million
- Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 8,000 / Funding: $394 million
- Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $130 million
- Autism: Affects 1 in 150 / Funding: $15 million
National Institutes of Health Funds Allocation
- Total 2005 NIH budget: $29 billion
- Of this, only $100 million goes towards autism research. This represents 0.3% of total NIH funding.
Current News Stories:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/24/autism.vaccines/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/31/autism.main/index.html
Autism Informational Resources:
http://www.autism.com/ (Defeat Autism Now!)
http://www.autismspeaks.org
http://www.autism-society.org Sphere: Related Content
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