About Autism

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder of development that lasts throughout a person's lifetime. Because persons with autism exhibit different symptoms or behaviors, ranging from mild to serious, autism is a "spectrum" disorder, or a group of disorders with a range of similar features. Autism is characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted repetitive and stereotypical patterns of behavior. At worst, a person with more profound autism may never learn to speak or care for themselves.

U.S. Facts

• A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes
• There are 24,000 new cases in the U.S. per year
• Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent diseases
• Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder in the U.S. today

California Facts

• More than two new cases each day - 7 days a week in California alone
• From 1987-1998 there was a 633% increase in Autism in the state
• From 1998-2002 there was an additional 96% increase
• There were 35,626 reported cases of Autism in California as of September 2007