One in thirty Eight? Hmmm is that a surprise? Not for those of us who have been paying attention but what did surprise me was the lack of response to this story. I do understand that rapidly growing number of children with special needs is not nearly as interesting as a celebrity being stupid but we are a capitalistic society and even if children are not valued, except as consumers, shouldn't the economics of the situation get everyone to sit up and take notice? $100,000.00 per school year to educate a child with autism. How many of our kids can any school district afford? What happens to the kids who are too difficult to remain in a public school? Residential schools that specialize in children with behavioral issues can cost a school district up to $250,000.00 per child per school year. What are we going to do with these children when they age out of the school systems? If family can't keep them at home, group homes cost about $60,000.00 per year (or more depending where you live) but an adult with behaviors who cannot be managed in a group home can cost four or five times that much.
It seems to me that putting money into researching this disease, thinking outside the box, is what has to happen if we are going to turn this around.
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