You may have heard recently that autism now affects 1 in 150 children in the U.S., a staggering figure that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers “an urgent health threat”. Though celebrities and others have valiantly tried to raise its profile, the disorder — which affects brain function and development — remains largely misunderstood and resources for autistic children are frequently underfunded or unavailable.
Want to learn more? A good place to start is this trusty Wikipedia entry. Last Wednesday, April 2, was “World Autism Awareness Day” – here’s a good editorial about it. Finally, more about the disorder and various treatments for it.
