1 in 68.

Wow

I expected the frequency to increase but still, seeing it in print takes my breath away.  And the numbers are old!  What is the prevalence with children who are 4 last year?  How many have been diagnosed this year alone?

Does it matter? We know too many people are living with autism spectrum disorders.  It is not the autism that is the problem.  The problem is our world.  A world that is still too inflexible, too segregated,  too un-accepting, too uneducated, and too un-accommodating.

We need to change, just like the CDC's numbers changed today. We need to embrace our children and adults with autism and change the world so they can access it. We need to educate our neighbors and our communities about people with autism and learn how to educate our people with autism.

Our people with autism, the very young and the old, can thrive in our communities if we let them. They can and will live meaningful, happy, and beautiful lives with our help.

So lets change. Lets change the world - for our children, young and old, with autism. They deserve it. They need it. And together we can do it.