IT'S AUTISM AWARENESS DAY (Why We ALL Need to Care!)
I Wrote a Book about Autism, Whose Time Has Finally Come
Today is Autism Awareness Day, and I want to encourage you to consider why YOU need to care about autism. Though some of you might not know it, I wrote a book around 15 years ago now, entitled Eco-Intelligent Remedies for Autism Spectrum that Think Outside the Box. If you’ve never heard of it, I wouldn’t be surprised, because it’s a book that was pretty far ahead of its time, and I never actively promoted it. However, a little over a year ago now, I decided to update the book with some great new information. And, so now, it is many pages richer and it’s also timelier than ever before. In my podcast today, I’ll share a little bit more with you about the book’s theme, because even if autism isn’t affecting you and your family personally, it’s important to understand that it IS affecting you if it’s affecting the lives of millions of people that co-exist with you on the planet.
To drive my point home, I’d like to ask you a half dozen questions. The questions that I have in mind represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the concerns that I have about autism, and by answering them yourself, you can get an idea if you share any of the same concerns.
Okay, ready for the questions?
Question 1: Are you concerned to know that at least 78 million people are currently living with autism worldwide and that the majority of them do not receive adequate support services, especially those living in low-and-middle-income countries?
Question 2: Are you concerned to know that the lifetime cost of caring for U.S. autism cases alone, between the years 2020-2029 will reach $15 trillion? (Source: The journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder.)
Question 3: Are you concerned to know that the annual cost of raising a child with autism is approximately $60,000 per year, --and more, if the child’s condition is severe, and that this financial burden threatens to upend the lives of the families who are impacted by it? (The cost of autism care covers therapies, education, caregiver time, and healthcare.)
Question 4: Are you concerned, that by 2033, our society will be asked to provide round-the-clock care and support for about 1 in 48 profoundly autistic children, and the rest of the children with autism will still need substantial care beyond what a typical child needs? (Source: Beth Lambert, Executive Director Epidemic Answers and the Documenting Hope Project)
Question 5: Are you concerned, based on the previous fact, about how parents will hold a job, who will pay for their childcare, and what will happen to these children when they become adults and there are no parents around to care for them?
Question 6: Are you concerned to know that in 2021, 85% of adults with high-functioning autism were not employable due to undeveloped communication skills and social skills?
The Realities of Autism Are Sobering
If you answered “yes” to any or all these questions, consider yourself “ a person who is in the know” about some of the hardships that parents, caregivers, and people affected by autism are facing now and in the coming years, and that will also impact you, your family, your neighbors, and your friends, far and wide if you consider the idea that "it takes a village to raise a child." Although the prospect of getting the autism epidemic "under control" is daunting, I want you to know, that I believe, as do other holistic educators I’m in contact with, that we can use this humanitarian crisis to grow, evolve, and even heal. But first, we need to develop a better understanding of what autism is and isn’t. We also need to understand that there will definitely be a global effort made by large organizations to try and manage the crisis. But it will also take individuals like me and you to “think outside the box” and come up with creative solutions that address the problem in a more meaningful and personally empowering way.
Spiritual Guidance Led Me to Write My Book
Just for the moment, I’d like to touch briefly on the subject of my book again, because I’m guessing that some of you might be curious to know why I wrote it. Suffice it to say, I didn’t have any formal autism education when I set out so many years ago now, to write my book. However, I was spiritually guided to write it, --just as I have been guided to write all of my books. (And I don’t take that guidance lightly!) The encouragement that I received at that time, which gave me the courage I needed to write the book, made me conscious of the idea that...
Candia Lea Cole
Founder, Eco-Learning Legacies
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