Autism Awareness

Overview

Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disorder in the United States.*

Today, 1 in 110 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, a 600% increase in the past 20 years.

Despite this high prevalence, research shows that many parents of young children have very little knowledge about autism. This campaign seeks to educate parents about the growing rate of autism in this country and to ultimately increase the level of early detection. To this aim, the PSAs encourage parents of young children to visit www.autismspeaks.org/signs to learn the early signs of the disorder.

Because there is currently no cure for autism and no effective means to prevent it, early detection is the crucial first step in helping children with autism.

With appropriate early-intervention services from ages 3-5, between 20% and 50% of children diagnosed with autism will be able to attend mainstream kindergarten.

*Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 2009.