April is World Autism Awareness Month! This is often a month when many individuals and organizations organize and participate on a variety of events (e.g., Cycling for Autism) to increase awareness and also, in some cases, raise funds for services and/or autism research.
As noted in Light It Up Blue 2019, due to a publication of a study in the 90s linking autism to the MMR vaccine, many caregivers, attempting to do what they believed to be best for this children, chose to withheld their child’s vaccines. However, the number of autism cases continued to grow. In fact, a recent publication by the CDC estimates that autism cases have increased to 1 in 54. Findings of the original study have been disproven and findings of a recent study indicate that MMR does not increase the risk for autism.
This year, due to social distancing guidelines to slow down the spread of Covid-19, Autism Awareness Month events and celebrations will look a little different. We encourage each of you to continue to distribute evidence-based information on the development and effective treatments for autism and to find ways to #LightItUpBlue.