World Autism Awareness Day is Here

Happy World Autism Awareness Day!

Love this badge I found online.

Okay, so maybe the spirit of the day isn't exactly celebratory.  I do feel that some celebration is in order, however.  In honor of this fifth annual World Autism Awareness Day, some very heavy-hitters, like the Pope and the CDC, have publicly drawn attention to the growing autism epidemic.  Even if the research is a day late and a dollar short (being based on 4 year old data and all) and even if the Vatican made autism sound like a tragic death sentence, they brought attention to autism for a large part of the population.  It is this attention that will promote an interest, that will lead to a desire to understand autism in the general population and not just by those affected.  Of course parents and loved ones and those affected by autism have these interests and desires, but the rest of the world needs to understand that autism will affect them one day too-- if it hasn't already.  1 in 88, y'all-- I'm pretty sure you know someone.  If you know my angels, you know two.