Autism Epidemic a Sleeping Giant

The number of young people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders is growing, and more than half a million will soon enter the age of adulthood. Until recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated that autism, characterized by impaired interpersonal interactions and repetitive behavior, affected an astonishingly frequent one in 150 American children.

A new assessment by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services puts that count at an even more prevalent one in 91. Though girls are also affected, the survey noted that "odds of having Autism Spectrum Disorders were 4 times as large for boys as girls."

(Left: Jim Parsons plays Dr. Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory)

These kids struggle with symptoms varying in severity from stark inability to be among clusters of people, make eye contact or verbally communicate, to those more "high functioning" developmental short circuits that manifest in Asperger's Syndrome, typified by "executive function" organizational difficulties. There is no known cure, and treatments such as gluten-free diets, psychological therapy or medication often have disappointing results.

There are a lot of theories on what triggers autism but nobody knows for sure. Possible causes for what amounts to a hiccup in a child's neural growth range have ranged from cold mothers to old fathers. Susceptibility may or may not be genetic.


One thing seems certain: the results of the HHS study suggest there are a great many disabled young people who will find it very difficult to lead independent lives (current estimates indicate that 673,000 American children have autism). With such a burgeoning population, more and more people know someone with a socially underperforming son, nephew or grandson, but culturally, we don't seem at all prepared for the challenges of folding all these fragile, awkward youngsters into a society that makes intensely stressful demands in any given week.

The protagonist of Mark Haddon's 2003 novel,"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time," is a teenage autistic boy who investigates the mystery behind a neighbor dog's death. On the hit CBS TV show, "Big Bang Theory," lead character Dr. Sheldon Cooper is a fan favorite and widely thought to be an undiagnosed "Aspie." Hugh Dancy stars as another young man with the disorder in this summer's Indy film, "Adam," and represents an improbable love interest for co-star Rose Byrne's more neurologically normal neighbor. Unfortunately, giving these children, and the adults they will inevitably become, a romantic narrative or suggesting they will become theoretical physicists at Caltech like Sheldon, does not address how to prepare them for a life of personal case management and uncertain self-reliance.

We are becoming accustomed to seeing autism, but our comfort won't do much for those who suffer it. It's hard to measure the benefit of inclusion for a group of people who wish to be alone. What will we do for these fragile innocents and their parents when they need to join the crowd?