Wednesday was World Autism Awareness Day. Autism Speaks, world's largest autism advocacy organization, announced a series of international events designed to bring more public awareness to the neurological disorder. A released on the PR Newswire called the series an "precedented global effort to heighten awareness about a disorder affecting millions of individuals and families around the world."
SeattlePI.com featured a personal article from a contributor who is also the mother of an autistic child. About coping with the diagnosis, the author said, "Underneath the optimism, the can-do attitude, the bravery, the fundraisers, one might find a mother (and hopefully a father ) and likely a few siblings overcome with exhaustion, scared out of their wits at the future, and fighting the temptation to give up, whatever that might mean to them. Everyday, though, they start again."
Diagnosis' for autism and other Autism Syndrome Disorders (ASD) have grown exponentially within the past decade, from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 150 live births (source). Some milder forms of autism, such as Asperger Syndrome, have a higher possibility for a "normal" life.
A post on Business MSNBC.com noted there are selective advantages to Asperger's, most notably the ability to concentrate deeply on tasks, which businesses would be wise to utilize.Nobel Laureate Vernon Smith said "I don't feel any social pressure to do things the way other people are doing them, professionally. And so I have been more open to different ways of looking at a lot of the problems in economics."
For a short primer on autism I recommend this entry from Wikipedia. If you prefer a more through introduction to the disorder I recommend this series from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
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