Parents Magazine Mess-up

April is Autism Awareness Month!

Here are some fun stats for you (and by fun, I mean terrifying):
On any given day in the US over 12,000 babies are born….
2 with Muscular Dystrophy
5 with Spina Bifida
16 with Down Syndrome
112 will have an Autism Spectrum Disorder

One in 110 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.

An estimated 1.5 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide are affected by autism.

So, to celebrate Autism Awareness Month, you would think a magazine, say, Parents Magazine, would run a feature. 1 in 110 (it's actually under 100 now!) is a big number. And rising. And lots of parents reading their magazine may wonder, does my child have autism? What are the signs?

No.

Better yet, they didn't publish anything in print after it was brought to their attention last year.


But in their defense, seriously, they posted that they had a product featured (read: advertisement) for bed tents, which can be used for autistic and special needs kids. SERIOUSLY.

After getting more and more complaints, they finally relented to 2 online-only articles, and now are offering a blog series online.

No print articles. Print articles that would be in every pediatrician's office, the ones that parents pick up to read before appointments. No articles in the hands of a mother at home wondering does Andy have autism? Something's not right. Nothing in the print magazine directing readers to said articles or blog.

Sorry, Parents Magazine. We're through. You obviously write only for 'typical families'. Thanks for clarifying.

If you want to read the Facebook thread, or better yet, comment on it and let them know what you think - here it is.