Today I went to an Autism Walk in my city with a friend who also has a child in the "autism spectrum". I have to admit that I was rather disappointed in the numbers that came. I was expecting crowds of people, and I think there might have been less than 100 people there. The cost was $30 and we got a cute shirt with the Frog mascot on it. I was glad to see families there and there were a few people from our school. I wish there would have been more. How can we expect support if WE don't support one another. That's the main motivation for this post.
Tomorrow they are meeting with legislators to discuss the need for more funding for Autism research. It's important that we all do what we can to let our representatives know that we can no longer be ignored! The numbers are rising each day and some still say there is not an epidemic. They want to dismiss it as "an increase in awareness and testing".... that is so wrong! Let's say for a moment that the numbers are increasing because of better screening methods. If that's the case, then show me all the adults with autism! Well... no matter what they say, the numbers are still increasing and so we STILL need to do something about it. Right???? It's insane to say that we aren't doing anything because there is no proof that the numbers are actually increasing. For the record: the number of autism cases are on the rise and no matter what the cause is, it definitely has MY attention.
http://www.autism-society.org
April is Autism Awareness Month and I wanted to make sure to post the link to useful information. The link above has wonderful ideas and suggestions of things you can do to support the cause. I hope you take the time to check it out.
The formal symbol for Autism Society is the puzzle piece. You can purchase shirts, bracelets, and other products online. The money they make goes towards increasing public awareness, research, and cost of advertising. The important thing to remember is that even if you don't have a child with autism, chances are that you will know someone or that your child will know someone who does. The statistics are 1:150 and some say it's actually more prevalent than that.
The first step towards finding an answer and/or a cure for Autism is awareness. It's a real condition that affects so many people. It's not something that goes away, although the symptoms seem to improve in some cases. I believe that some parents feel like giving up. I don't want that to happen!!! We can't just give up now. We need to fight harder than ever. We have to do it for our children, our grandchildren, and our posterity.
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Now is the time to fight!!!
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1 comment:
Good job! You are a great supporter of the community!
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