Startling Autism Statistics

Flugpo wants to help autism research. Please notice the donation box on the right. All donations go directly to Autism Speaks. Please help if you can.

Why support autism, you might ask? Let me give you some statistics from TalkAboutCuringAutism.org:

• "AUTISM OCCURRENCE: One in every 150 children born in the US have autism. It is estimated approximately 1 million in the US have this disorder.
  NOTE: This number does NOT include: PDD, Asperger's and other spectrum disorders. These statistics are endorsed by the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other federal organizations.
• U.S. FACTS:
  -A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes
  -There are 24,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. per year
  -The economic impact of autism is more than $90 billion and expected to more than double in the next decade.
  -Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases.
  -There is no medical detection treatment, or cure for autism.
• AUTISM COMPARED TO OTHER DISABILITIES: Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. today. "
  

I also wanted to tell you about a groundbreaking online autism project that launched on April 2, 2007: IAN, the Interactive Autism Network. Visit today at IANproject.

IANproject aims to link researchers, families, and the entire autism community to accelerate the pace of autism research. It's a great opportunity to get involved!

IAN consists of two complementary parts: IAN Research and the IAN Community.

IAN Research is the nation's largest online autism research effort. Via secure online questionnaires, and from the comfort of their own home, parents of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can share valuable information about their child's diagnosis, behavior, family, environment, and services received. IAN Research aims to collect the largest ever data set on children with ASDs - an accomplishment that should help researchers find causes, treatments, and, hopefully, a cure.

The IAN Community, a comprehensive online library and meeting place focused on autism research, is open to families, researchers, and anyone impacted by an ASD. You can participate in the IAN Community to learn about the latest research, become a more informed consumer of research, and join in a worldwide collaboration of people dedicated to finding answers. On the Community site, there is a great deal of information both for beginners and for the more advanced, plus the initial results from the IAN data collected so far. Come see what they've found!

Please check it out at IANproject, and help spread the word to others you know who might be interested.