Today is the last day of April, which is also Autism Awareness Month, and I would like to talk a little about statistics.
The CDC just released new data that puts the national rate of autism at 1 in 88, everyone seems to be talking about that statistic. It is a 78% increase in less than a decade.
There are many places where you can read about those numbers. There have been many good articles written on the subject in the past month. I don’t really feel the need to rehash it here.
My only commentary on that issue, currently is this:
1) Please note that the skyrocketing 1 in 88 figure is not for children born now. It is the current rate for 8-year-olds. So it’s likely already much higher for say…. 2-year-olds, like my daughter.
2) Also, if it continues to increase at the current rate, within 5 years the number will be 1 in 30. One in thirty.
3) This issue needs a great deal more attention than it is getting. If you look at the breakdown of funding, you’ll see what I mean.
- Leukemia: Affects 1 in 1,200 / Funding: $277 million
- Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 100,000 / Funding: $162 million
- Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $156 million
- Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 300 / Funding: $394 million
- Autism: Affects 1 in 88 / Funding: $79 million.
Does that look balanced to you?
But, what I really wanted to talk about today, is a statistic that you don’t hear as much about.
If you are a homeschooler, there are those who will question you.
“Do you think you can really do that?”
“Are you just being over-protective?”
“Do you think you can teach them adequately?”
In spite of the fact that there is an abundant amount of data showing that homeschooling is a very effective and successful form of education, most who homeschool have heard those questions at least once.
We are very confident in our decision to homeschool our older children, and we feel no differently about Ella. If anything, her autism makes me more inclined to provide her with a homeschool education.
Almost everyday in the news there is a new story about yet another special needs student being abused at school. I have turned to my husband and said, “I cannot imagine sending my beautiful, silent, little girl off with strangers.”
My husband, a former police officer, literally shudders at the thought of it.
These girls, they are targets. It’s sick and it’s sad, but it’s true.
83% of females with developmental disabilities are victims of sexual assault.
EIGHTY THREE PERCENT.
(The figure is 32% of males with developmental disabilities.)
The chances are that high, that my daughter will be a victim of sexual assault in her lifetime. If that doesn’t make your blood run cold, I don’t know what will.
We need to do so much more to protect these individuals. They have the right to live a life free of abuse.
Migod, those statistics are terrible. Part of the problem is the need to make people more aware of autism. On the other hand, people don’t really want to hear about autism. So it’s a Catch-22. If there were only some way to make learning about autism more palatable for those who are ignorant of its causes and effects.
I think someone needs to write a book doing just that. There have been quite a few books about the challenges faced by children with disabilities, but how about a new one about a child facing the issues of autism? A number of good books are listed in Goodreads here (http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/309237-children-s-books-with-disabled-characters). We need a fresh one that will make a stir…