Troubling Facts About Autism

*Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.


*There are probably a combination of factors that lead to autism but genetic factors seem to be important.

*PDD-NOS –(Pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified ) is also called atypical autism.

* PDD-NOS shares similarities with autism, it tends to be milder,

*Other pervasive developmental disorders include:

  • Aspergers syndrome (like autism, but with normal language development)

  • Rett syndrome (very different from autism, and only occurs in females)

  • Childhood disintegrative disorder (rare condition - a child learns skills, then loses them by age 10)

*The United Nations adopted a resolution on Dec. 18, 2007 declaring April 2 Autism Awareness Day

*The inaugural celebration of Autism Awareness Day on April 2, 2008 included 20 participating countries

*67 million people worldwide are affected by Autism.

*Children with ASD are 7 times more likely to come into contact with the police.

*Some doctors believe the increased incidence in autism is due to newer definitions of autism.

*An estimated 190,000 Canadian children have the Autism Disorder.

*This year more children will be diagnosed with Autism than Aids, diabetes and cancer.

*The most recent studies suggest the rate of autism has increased to 60 cases per 10,000 people, from 40 cases.

* 1 in 110 children in 2010 in the US will be diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

*1 in every 70 boys in 2010 in the U.S. is living with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD),

*1 in 150 in 2008 children in the US was diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

* 1 in 94 boys in the US in 2008 was living with ASD.

*Autism cannot be detected yet by medical means.

*Early diagnosis and early intervention improves the future of Autistic children.

* At your child's 18- and 24-month checkups, your pediatrician should screen for autism spectrum disorders.

*500,000 children in the US with autism will become adults in the next decade.

*There is an 81% unemployment rate among adults with autism.

*More than 80% of adults with autism between 18 and 30 still live at home.

*Children with Autism may appear generally normal until around the age of 24 to 30 months.

*In the US the National Institutes of Health spent only $22 million in 1997 for Autism research.

* In the US the National Institutes of Health spent $74 million in autism research in 2002.

Which fact do you find most troubling?