Chances are you've heard the numbers - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 110 children in the U.S. have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). And if you've heard those numbers, you also may have heard the widely referenced statistic that 80 percent of parents of children with an ASD end up getting divorced. However, research presented by our client, the Kennedy Krieger Institute, at the recent 2010 International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia debunked this statistic, finding that autism has no effect on family structure.
So why are these findings important to the autism community? I'll let you click here to listen to lead study author Dr. Brian Freedman discuss these findings, and provide his research team's first-hand perspective. So many people - from fellow researchers at the meeting, to outlets including WebMD, Newsweek's Human Condition Blog, HealthDay, NPR, and the LA Times Booster Shots Blog - expressed interest in this study, because it demonstrates that families don't have to receive a diagnosis of autism and divorce at the same time, and it underscores how families are resilient when faced with the challenges that raising a child with an ASD may bring. (more...)
