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Autism is a lifelong disorder of the brain that in most cases severely compromises the individual's capacity to function independently. Autism is growing at an epidemic rate, and as many as 1.5 million Americans today are believed to have some form of autism. We conservatively estimate there are over 2000 persons with autism in the Greater Knoxville nine county area. Autism is more prevalent than Down Syndrome, childhood cancer and cystic fibrosis.
The statistics are chilling. A new study published October 5, 2009 in the American Academy of Pediatrics' journal Pediatrics found a parent-reported autism prevalence rate of one in every 91 American children, including one in 58 boys. The cause is unknown, and there is no cure. While the United States population grew 13% in the 1990's, diagnosed cases of autism grew 172%. It is the fastest growing developmental disability.
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