11 Things You Need to Know About Autism Today

If you're seeing a lot of blue in your area today, you're getting the message. Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and to bring attention to the world's fastest-growing developmental disability, landmarks around the world are being lit in blue as part of the Light It Up Blue campaign.

More children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) this year than with diabetes, cancer, and AIDS combined. And if recent numbers are any indication of where things are going, that number will skyrocket in the coming years. In honor of World Autism Awareness Day, we've combed through the latest research on the disorder to provide you with 11 things you need to know. Read on and get informed! Source: Flickr user horizontal.integration

What It Is

What It Is

According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) "is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges." Source: Flickr user horizontal.integration

How Many People Are Affected

How Many People Are Affected

According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control, one in 68 children has an autism spectrum disorder. That number is 30 percent higher than the number of children identified with disorders in 2008 (one in 88) and 60 percent higher than those diagnosed in 2006 (one in 110). Source: Flickr user horizontal.integration

How Autism Ranks

How Autism Ranks

More US children are placed on the autism spectrum than are affected by cancer, diabetes, AIDS, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, or Down syndrome — combined, according to Autism Speaks. Source: Flickr user Amanda Tipton

When Children Are Typically Diagnosed

When Children Are Typically Diagnosed

While a reliable autism diagnosis can be given as early as 2 years old, on average, children are diagnosed at 4 years old. Source: Flickr user CIA DE FOTO

Who It Affects

Who It Affects

Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism spectrum disorders (one in 42). Source: Flickr user Linda Tanner

Who It Affects

Who It Affects

Autism diagnoses are more common in white children than black or Hispanic children. According to the CDC, "About 1 in 63 white children, 1 in 81 black children, and 1 in 93 Hispanic children were identified with ASD." Source: Flickr user sharyn morrow

Who It Affects

Who It Affects

ASD does not necessarily run in families. According to the CDC, "Studies have shown that among identical twins, if one child has ASD, then the other will be affected about 36-95 percent of the time. In non-identical twins, if one child has ASD, then the other is affected about 0-31 percent of the time. Parents who have a child with ASD have a 2-18 percent chance of having a second child who is also affected." Source: Flickr user Linda

How Children Diagnosed With ASD Fare

How Children Diagnosed With ASD Fare

Children diagnosed with ASD tend to be very smart. "Almost half (46 percent) of children identified with ASD has average to above average intellectual ability," according to the CDC. Source: Flickr user Peter Dedina

How Autism Is Treated

How Autism Is Treated

There is currently no cure for autism and no medicine that treats ASD itself. That said, various educational programs, therapies, and medicines are being used to treat behaviors that cause problems for children with autism. According to the Child Mind Institute, "Applied behavior analysis is a psychotherapeutic regimen that actively teaches and encourages desired social and communication behaviors, which other children learn intuitively. Developmentally based intervention uses subjects, words, and stimuli, to model a typical developmental progression for an atypical child. As every child is different, other appropriate therapies may include occupational, physical, and speech-language." Source: Flickr user Lotus Carroll

What It Costs Families

What It Costs Families

Caring for a child on the autism spectrum is expensive. The CDC estimates that it costs families an additional $17,000 per year to care for a child with ASD than one without. Add behavioral specialists to that, and the total cost increases to up to $60,000 each year. Source: Flickr user Amanda Tipton

How Much Research Is Being Done

How Much Research Is Being Done

The National Institutes of Health spends $169 million on autism research, accounting for only 0.55 percent of its budget. Source: Flickr user Xtream_i