One in every 150 children born in the United States today will be diagnosed with some form of autism. That number has risen from one in every 166 births just two years ago. (based upon a study by the Centers for Disease Control) In Arkansas, where I live, that number is even more startling--one in every 145 children will be affected by autism.   

Every 20 minutes, a child is diagnosed with autism.

Eight out of 10 children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder are boys. There seems to be no known reason while boys are affected so much more often than girls.

Sadly, marriages of couples parenting a child with an autism spectrum disorder are negatively affected.  Approximately 85% of those marriages end in divorce due to the strain (physical, emotional, and financial) of parenting these children.

Once you meet a family affected by autism, the strangest thing will happen. All of a sudden, you will begin hearing about autism everywhere you go, even though you may have never heard it mentioned before.  The person sitting next to you on a plane will start talking about it, a co-worker will mention that his or her child has an autism disorder, you'll hear it mentioned repeatedly on the news, and read about it in magazines and newspapers. Autism is everywhere and the chance that it will affect someone you know or care about is great. Please learn more about autism so that you can empathize and not criticize, so that you can offer help and comfort, not judgment and condemnation.