Autism and it’s related spectrum disorder are gaining more attention these days then in the past, as celebrity like Jim Carey and Jenny McCarthy join the ranks of people seeking a cure, or at least the method of best treatment for children and adults suffering from autism. With it constantly being in the mainstream of world news it is no wonder most people have heard of it. What is surprising though, is that most people do not know how a child gets autism or who it affects.
Autism does not discriminate by race. Every race is equally capable of having an autistic spectrum disorder. On the other hand, autism does discriminate by gender, with more males afflicted worldwide then females. And the difference here is staggering, the ratio of males to females is 4 to 1. That means out of every 5 people affected, only one is female! Not to mention, when looked at as a whole, females affected versus males affected, females are less likely to have the full blown level of autism, and often fall on the Asperger’s range of the spectrum instead.
Statistically, some reports place Autism as high on the scale as 1 out of every 94 children having some form of autism. Currently, there is believed to be almost 2 million adults and children affected in the United States, with other statistics implying a much larger portion of society being affected. What leads them to believe this, is that a child diagnosed nowadays would have simply thought to be odd twenty years ago. Making it so that there are many undiagnosed adults in society. This may also be the cause of the extreme rise in Autism stats over the last few years. More children and adults now are diagnosed with ASD then ever before due to the rise in awareness.
No matter what statistics you choose to believe, or what the actual number of afflicted individuals actually is, autism is on the rise, and affecting more people world wide then ever before. With a little extra education, and information, we will all be better able to cope and proceed in helping individuals on the spectrum reach their full potential, and not be discriminated against for their disorders.
Autism affects a lot of people world wide, and the only way we can make our world more autism friendly is by learning what causes it, how it affects those who have it and their families and friends and seeking a cure for it, or at least a way to reduce the impact it has on those affected
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