My First Post- Autism news

Hi Family and Friends!


Creating this blog is all new to me, so hopefully I am doing it right - My computer genius brother-in-law, Spencer, helped me get started.
I wanted to create this blog to showcase my beautiful son, Weston. He has autism and I want to help spread awareness of this devastating epidemic.
Today, April 2, is world-wide autism awareness day. Autism Speaks, an organization that is dedicated to autism research, has worked very hard to spread awareness and this is the first (that I know of) world-wide autism awareness day.

For those of you that don't know, Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships. It is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Right now there is no known cause or cure.

SOME ALARMING AUTISM FACTS

• 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism, 1 in 133 here in Utah!!
• 67 children are diagnosed per day
• a new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
• more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with Aids, diabetes & cancer combined!
• autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
• autism costs the nation over 90 billion per year, figure expected to double in the next decade
• many insurance companies don't cover autism related therapies - so everything is out of pocket expenses for these families
• autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
• there is no medical detection or cure for autism

INCIDENCE VS. PRIVATE FUNDING

• Leukemia: affects 1 in 25,000/Funding: $310 million
• Muscular Dystrophy: affects 1 in 20,000/Funding: $175 million
• Pediatric Aids: affects 1 in 8,000/Funding: $394 million
• Juvenile Diabetes: affects 1 in 500/Funding: $130 million
• Autism: affects 1 in 150/Funding: approx. $15 million

*information from http://www.autismspeaks.org/

updated August 2007

Please join me in the fight against Autism!! My hope is that we will find a cause so that we can prevent this disease from affecting so many more children and that we will find a cure so we can help the kids that are struggling with it now. I am very hopeful that we are close to finding some answers!!

I have some exciting news!! Salt Lake City is having a support walk for Autism on Saturday, May 3, 2008 at Cottonwood High School- Murray, UT. I am on the committee that is working hard to make it successful. There will also be an autism resource fair and family carnival.

Time: 9:00 am-1:00 pm

Registration and Resource fair opens: 9:00 am

Walk starts: 10:00 am

We are also trying to raise money for autism research. 100% proceeds go to Autism Speaks who is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to finding a cure. They also help families find the resources they need and are advocates for the many families that are dealing with autism. We have a team formed, it is called Walk for Wes. If you would like to donate please visit www.walknowforautism.org/utah and make your donation under our team. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. We need to be the voice for these sweet kids because many of them can't speak for themselves, they can't tell us how frustrating it is to be trapped in your own head. I know that when I look into my sweet Weston's beautiful brown eyes that I am his mother for a reason and it is up to me to make a difference for him and all the sweet souls that have been affected with this horrible disease.