That's the new statistic released today by the CDC. 1 in 88 children were diagnosed with autism in 2008. Up from 2006's 1 in 110. Up from 2004's 1 in 125. And 2000-2002's 1 in 150. I can only imagine what 2010's, or this year's numbers are.
World Autism Awareness Day is Monday, April 2, 2012.
In observance (I cannot say 'in celebration of'), here are some facts for you:
-Autism rates are up 78% in the last decade.
-Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its estimate of autism prevalence in the United States to 1 in 88 children (1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls). By comparison, this is more children than are affected by diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Down syndrome – combined.* (Autism Speaks)
Autism Society stats:
-1 to 1.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder.
-Fastest-growing developmental disability; 1,148% growth rate.
-10 - 17 % annual growth.
-$60 billion annual cost.
-60% of costs are in adult services.
-Cost of lifelong care can be reduced by 2/3 with early diagnosis and intervention.
-In 10 years, the annual cost will be $200-400 billion.
-The cost of autism over the lifespan is 3.2 million dollars per person.
-Only 56% of students with autism finish high school.
-The average per-pupil expenditure for educating a child with autism was estimated by SEEP to be over $18,000 in the 1999-2000 school year. This estimate was nearly three times the expenditure for a typical regular education student who did not receive special education services.
-The unemployment rate for people with disabilities was at 14%, compared with 9% for people without a disability. Additionally, during the same period, only 21% of all adults with disabilities participated in the labor force as compared with 69% of the non-disabled population.
-There is NO CURE for autism.
This is staggering and terrifying. It is time for the government to step up and provide more funding for research to end this epidemic. Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases.
Prevalence vs. Private Funding
Leukemia: Affects 1 in 1,200 / Funding: $277 million
Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 100,000 / Funding: $162 million
Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 300 / Funding: $394 million
Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $156 million
Autism: Affects 1 in 110 / Funding: $79 million
National Institutes of Health Funds Allocation
Total 2011 NIH budget: $30.5 billion
Of this, only $169 million goes directly to autism research. This represents 0.6% of total NIH funding.
Showing posts with label autism awareness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label autism awareness. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Starbucks ROCKS.
I went by my old store yesterday to grab a coffee and catch up with a few of my old coworkers.
My manager was so excited to tell me that Monday - World Autism Awareness Day - all the baristas are wearing blue in support of autism awareness. They are also donating a portion of their tips to autism charities.
Such an awesome thing to do, and such amazing people.
As an aside, everyone should wear blue Monday. Show your support! New stats are rumored to be 1 in 88...
My manager was so excited to tell me that Monday - World Autism Awareness Day - all the baristas are wearing blue in support of autism awareness. They are also donating a portion of their tips to autism charities.
Such an awesome thing to do, and such amazing people.
As an aside, everyone should wear blue Monday. Show your support! New stats are rumored to be 1 in 88...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Brats and Compassion.
Today, an article was published on CNN. While I really don't want to post the link, because I hate giving it more attention, it is here.
And to be honest, it's not the first time recently I've heard people blaming a kid behaving poorly on parents.
Now, to be fair... is it sometimes poor parenting (or as the article above calls it, 'permissive parenting')?
Yes.
But let me present a different side.
Because we have been THAT family.
The time we were in Target, and the checkout transition that JT dreads started a screaming spree and I overheard a woman saying "I can't *believe* she lets her son act like THAT!" Or the time at Walmart the checker gave me the advice to 'spank him until he felt it' and 'put him in timeout all day until he gets it'. Countless other times I have seen 'the stare' that LZ Granderson talks about giving these parents in the article. Yes, I've been on that side.
And you know what? It SUCKS.
Not to be full of myself, but my husband and I are very good parents. Normal parents don't invest half the time we have in parenting, interventions and other classes. We have had countless professionals in our home, early intervention observations (AKA the government agencies) watching our every move. And you know what? Not ONE SINGLE PERSON has EVER questioned our parenting. In fact, we've gotten countless compliments on parenting our kids.
So an article saying that a child with behavioral issues is just a bad, poorly parented kid really, REALLY rubs me the wrong way.
My son is incredibly sweet. He is very polite and has great manners. He learned 'please' and 'thank you' before he learned the regular vocabulary and labeling of general objects that most kids learn.
For comparison on my parenting, I have a (one week away from) 7 year old who in an entire school year had ZERO minor behavioral issues. She is the only kid in her class who never moved her 'fish' for talking out of turn, being disrespectful or worse. I'm *obviously* doing something right.
But according to LZ and people like him (oh, and there are LOTS), my kids' behavior should be controlled by 'the look'.
Give me a freaking break. My kid is overwhelmed by (likely YOUR) perfume/cologne, by (likely YOUR) loud voice/noises, by bright lights, by unpredictable things... don't you DARE call him a bad kid.
Perhaps the most ridiculous part of LZ's article is the premise that airplanes and grocery stores are some sort of adult-only, priviledged thing. I can't avoid grocery shopping with my son sometimes, my husband works a minimum of 60 hours a week. We may have to fly someday - we've never visited our immediate family, it's a 20 hour drive. Now, as far as restaurants and such, my family absolutely tries to be respectful. When we go out to eat (rarely), we choose family restaurants, and plan on one of us walking outside with my son when he gets irritated. I want everyone to enjoy their meal, and will happily box up my food to not disturb other diners.
I've seen the argument 'he's not talking about special needs kids'. Well, hell yes he is. Autism has no distinguishable features. He can't tell if that kid is autistic or not by looking at him. (I've also seen the 'autism is a diagnosis handed out to anyone these days', which is not only incredibly offensive, but insanely ignorant... that is my next post, though... I refuse to address it here because it has no merit).
As angry as I am, all I can say to people like LZ is, autism rates are rising. It's at 1 in 91 the last time I checked, and rising quickly. It's coming to a family near you. You may feel high and mighty now, but it's coming. You WILL know someone close to you that is what you're calling a brat, and you will hang your head in shame when you realize that you're wrong. You might want to show some compassion now, because your 'my kid will never do that' line will bite you in the rear...
And if you're not sure if a kid is a brat or is autistic - and there's no way for you to be sure - go for kindness. Because that kid may not be a brat. They may have been dealt a really crappy hand in life and are doing the best they can. And those parents may be wonderful parents doing their best to navigate a disability. Living a day in their life is harder than you think.
And to be honest, it's not the first time recently I've heard people blaming a kid behaving poorly on parents.
Now, to be fair... is it sometimes poor parenting (or as the article above calls it, 'permissive parenting')?
Yes.
But let me present a different side.
Because we have been THAT family.
The time we were in Target, and the checkout transition that JT dreads started a screaming spree and I overheard a woman saying "I can't *believe* she lets her son act like THAT!" Or the time at Walmart the checker gave me the advice to 'spank him until he felt it' and 'put him in timeout all day until he gets it'. Countless other times I have seen 'the stare' that LZ Granderson talks about giving these parents in the article. Yes, I've been on that side.
And you know what? It SUCKS.
Not to be full of myself, but my husband and I are very good parents. Normal parents don't invest half the time we have in parenting, interventions and other classes. We have had countless professionals in our home, early intervention observations (AKA the government agencies) watching our every move. And you know what? Not ONE SINGLE PERSON has EVER questioned our parenting. In fact, we've gotten countless compliments on parenting our kids.
So an article saying that a child with behavioral issues is just a bad, poorly parented kid really, REALLY rubs me the wrong way.
My son is incredibly sweet. He is very polite and has great manners. He learned 'please' and 'thank you' before he learned the regular vocabulary and labeling of general objects that most kids learn.
For comparison on my parenting, I have a (one week away from) 7 year old who in an entire school year had ZERO minor behavioral issues. She is the only kid in her class who never moved her 'fish' for talking out of turn, being disrespectful or worse. I'm *obviously* doing something right.
But according to LZ and people like him (oh, and there are LOTS), my kids' behavior should be controlled by 'the look'.
Give me a freaking break. My kid is overwhelmed by (likely YOUR) perfume/cologne, by (likely YOUR) loud voice/noises, by bright lights, by unpredictable things... don't you DARE call him a bad kid.
Perhaps the most ridiculous part of LZ's article is the premise that airplanes and grocery stores are some sort of adult-only, priviledged thing. I can't avoid grocery shopping with my son sometimes, my husband works a minimum of 60 hours a week. We may have to fly someday - we've never visited our immediate family, it's a 20 hour drive. Now, as far as restaurants and such, my family absolutely tries to be respectful. When we go out to eat (rarely), we choose family restaurants, and plan on one of us walking outside with my son when he gets irritated. I want everyone to enjoy their meal, and will happily box up my food to not disturb other diners.
I've seen the argument 'he's not talking about special needs kids'. Well, hell yes he is. Autism has no distinguishable features. He can't tell if that kid is autistic or not by looking at him. (I've also seen the 'autism is a diagnosis handed out to anyone these days', which is not only incredibly offensive, but insanely ignorant... that is my next post, though... I refuse to address it here because it has no merit).
As angry as I am, all I can say to people like LZ is, autism rates are rising. It's at 1 in 91 the last time I checked, and rising quickly. It's coming to a family near you. You may feel high and mighty now, but it's coming. You WILL know someone close to you that is what you're calling a brat, and you will hang your head in shame when you realize that you're wrong. You might want to show some compassion now, because your 'my kid will never do that' line will bite you in the rear...
And if you're not sure if a kid is a brat or is autistic - and there's no way for you to be sure - go for kindness. Because that kid may not be a brat. They may have been dealt a really crappy hand in life and are doing the best they can. And those parents may be wonderful parents doing their best to navigate a disability. Living a day in their life is harder than you think.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
ASD: Symptoms and misconceptions.
What it is, via NIMH:
All children with ASD demonstrate deficits in 1) social interaction, 2) verbal and nonverbal communication, and 3) repetitive behaviors or interests. In addition, they will often have unusual responses to sensory experiences, such as certain sounds or the way objects look. Each of these symptoms runs the gamut from mild to severe. They will present in each individual child differently. For instance, a child may have little trouble learning to read but exhibit extremely poor social interaction. Each child will display communication, social, and behavioral patterns that are individual but fit into the overall diagnosis of ASD.
Some Signs, From The Mayo Clinic:
Social skills
Fails to respond to his or her name
Has poor eye contact
Appears not to hear you at times
Resists cuddling and holding
Appears unaware of others' feelings
Seems to prefer playing alone — retreats into his or her "own world"
Language
Starts talking later than age 2, and has other developmental delays by 30 months
Loses previously acquired ability to say words or sentences
Doesn't make eye contact when making requests
Speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm — may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech
Can't start a conversation or keep one going
May repeat words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them
Behavior
Performs repetitive movements, such as rocking, spinning or hand-flapping
Develops specific routines or rituals
Becomes disturbed at the slightest change in routines or rituals
Moves constantly
May be fascinated by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car
May be unusually sensitive to light, sound and touch and yet oblivious to pain
-------------------------
What many don't understand is that just because a child doesn't fit every descriptor, does not rule out autism. Yesterday on a public forum, I saw a mother say 'I think my son's diagnosis of autism is wrong, he makes great eye contact.' Another time, a parent lamented, 'But my son is so smart, there's no way it's autism.' Or, 'He loves other kids, the doctors are wrong about the diagnosis.'
*Sigh*
These are only a snippet of the signs, and no child will meet every one. Autism is a COMPLEX disorder, the presence or absence of one (or even several) of the signs and symptoms doesn't rule out autism.
My son makes wonderful eye contact sometimes, he loves other kids most of the time, and he is super smart and VERY happy. But he's also autistic.
-------------------
This video shows a lot of the signs as they present in one (adorable!) little boy:
--------------------
If you want to read some more about the signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, these are excellent resources:
Autism Web: Autism Symptoms and Warning Signs
CDC: Signs and Symptoms of ASD's
All children with ASD demonstrate deficits in 1) social interaction, 2) verbal and nonverbal communication, and 3) repetitive behaviors or interests. In addition, they will often have unusual responses to sensory experiences, such as certain sounds or the way objects look. Each of these symptoms runs the gamut from mild to severe. They will present in each individual child differently. For instance, a child may have little trouble learning to read but exhibit extremely poor social interaction. Each child will display communication, social, and behavioral patterns that are individual but fit into the overall diagnosis of ASD.
Some Signs, From The Mayo Clinic:
Social skills
Fails to respond to his or her name
Has poor eye contact
Appears not to hear you at times
Resists cuddling and holding
Appears unaware of others' feelings
Seems to prefer playing alone — retreats into his or her "own world"
Language
Starts talking later than age 2, and has other developmental delays by 30 months
Loses previously acquired ability to say words or sentences
Doesn't make eye contact when making requests
Speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm — may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech
Can't start a conversation or keep one going
May repeat words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them
Behavior
Performs repetitive movements, such as rocking, spinning or hand-flapping
Develops specific routines or rituals
Becomes disturbed at the slightest change in routines or rituals
Moves constantly
May be fascinated by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car
May be unusually sensitive to light, sound and touch and yet oblivious to pain
-------------------------
What many don't understand is that just because a child doesn't fit every descriptor, does not rule out autism. Yesterday on a public forum, I saw a mother say 'I think my son's diagnosis of autism is wrong, he makes great eye contact.' Another time, a parent lamented, 'But my son is so smart, there's no way it's autism.' Or, 'He loves other kids, the doctors are wrong about the diagnosis.'
*Sigh*
These are only a snippet of the signs, and no child will meet every one. Autism is a COMPLEX disorder, the presence or absence of one (or even several) of the signs and symptoms doesn't rule out autism.
My son makes wonderful eye contact sometimes, he loves other kids most of the time, and he is super smart and VERY happy. But he's also autistic.
-------------------
This video shows a lot of the signs as they present in one (adorable!) little boy:
--------------------
If you want to read some more about the signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, these are excellent resources:
Autism Web: Autism Symptoms and Warning Signs
CDC: Signs and Symptoms of ASD's
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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.
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.
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