• Autism now affects 1 in 88 children; and 1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls
  • 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.
  • At this time, there is no medical detection (blood test, scan, etc) or cure for autism
  • Diagnosis relies on behavioral observation and screening
  • Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups
  • Approximately 1.5 million Americans and 67 million people worldwide live with autism
  • The cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3 with early diagnosis and intervention
  • The cost of autism over the lifespan is 3.2 million dollars
  • If one identical twin is diagnosed with autism, the other twin has about a 90% chance of being diagnosed as well
  • In families with one autistic child, the risk of having a second child with autism is approximately 5%, or one in 20. This is greater than the risk for the general population
  • Autism was added as a classified disability under special education law in 1991 and now is the sixth most common disability in U.S. schools
  • Children with autism appear to have a higher than normal risk for certain co-existing conditions, including fragile X syndrome (which causes mental retardation), tuberous sclerosis (which causes tumors to grow in various organs), epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder
  • For reasons that are still unclear, about 20 to 30 percent of children with autism develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood
  • Scientists aren’t certain what causes autism, but it’s likely that both genetics and environment play a role
  • Divorce rates are higher in families affected by autism than families that are not
  • For many children, autism symptoms improve with treatment and with age
  • Some children with autism grow up to lead normal or near-normal lives
  • Children whose language skills regress early in life, usually before the age of 3, appear to be at risk of developing epilepsy or seizure-like brain activity
  • During adolescence, some children with autism may become depressed or experience behavioral problems

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  • Dear Mary, July 13, 2012

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