My Heart Is Blue

April is Autism Awareness Month. During this time, you may see people wearing the color blue and sporting rubber wristbands with a colorful puzzle piece printed on them.  The Autism Speaks Foundation will air more commercials regarding their cause.  Even the White House was lit up a beautiful blue hue in honor of this month, but are you really aware of the intense challenges that autistic children and adults go through?  In honor of my autistic son, Greg, I write this blog as my part in the awareness cause. I would like to share with you some autism facts and stats obtained from the National Autism Association website:

- Autism now affects 1 in 68 children.
- Boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls.
- About 40 percent of children with autism do not speak. About 25–30 percent of children with autism have some words at 12 to 18 months of age and then lose them. Others might speak, but not until later in childhood.
- Autism greatly varies from person to person (no two people with autism are alike).
- The rate of autism has steadily grown over the last 20 years.
- Comorbid conditions often associated with autism include Fragile X, allergies, asthma, epilepsy, bowel disease, gastrointestinal/digestive disorders, persistent viral infections, PANDAS, feeding disorders, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, OCD, sensory integration dysfunction, sleeping disorders, immune disorders, autoimmune disorders and neuro inflammation.
- Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder, yet most underfunded.
- A 2008 Danish Study found that the mortality risk among those with autism was nearly twice that of the general population.
- Children with autism do progress – early intervention is key.
- Autism is treatable. It is not a hopeless condition.
- Autistic children want to be accepted by their peers, but because of odd behaviors (such as difficulty in eye contact or speech), they are usually secluded.
- Many learn by visualization and are very sensitive to sound and touch.  A simple trip to the grocery store can overstimulate an autistic child to the point where they have a breakdown.
- Eleven years ago, the statistic was 1 in every 150 children will be diagnosed with autism.  Today, it has narrowed down to 1 out of 68 children.

It is very important that we educate ourselves as a nation and do our part in raising autistic children to become productive adults.