A message from Cure Autism Now co-founder Jonathan Shestack:

“The autism community is wired, networked and organized like never before.  Many of our children have no voice, but we can speak on their behalf.  Please help us send this message to President Bush and Senator Kerry.”

To the families and friends of people with autism:

It doesn’t matter if the autistic person you care about is three or 30, can’t say a word or can’t stop talking about the train schedule.  Making sure they get what they need, that the world is not cruel, that they get a chance at fulfillment and productivity is a full-time job.  You are busy.  We get it.  We are too.

That is why we only come to you when we really think it matters.  We came to you to help pass the Children’s Health Act of 2000, you rallied around the cause, and the legislation was passed in record time.

We think it really counts this time, too.  We are facing an extraordinary crisis that calls for extraordinary action.

The numbers of people affected by autism keep rising and rising.  It is getting worse, not better.  Autism is causing more heartbreak, not less and it is costing more and more money.  And yet the federal research commitment – which was never sufficient to begin with – is now dangerously failing to keep pace with the problem.

In fact, autism research is at the risk of becoming less funded over the next few years.

The federal government is currently spending about $50 million dollars a year on a problem that costs the nation closer to $50 billion in direct costs and lost wages – yes, BILLION.

Over the next 15 years, a million more people with autism will grow up. Their parents will become older and less able to care for them.  The responsibility for these people will fall on the system.  The system will crash.  Even if you don’t have a child with autism, this should make you take notice.  If you are responsible for leading the greatest and wealthiest nation on earth, you really better pay attention.

We know that it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor; black or white; Democrat or Republican.  You cannot run from autism.  You cannot hide from it.  There is no pill or prayer to protect your children or your neighbor’s children from autism.  The only way to avoid autism is to fix it.  The way to fix it is through medical research.

Last year, scientists sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) wrote a roadmap for autism ( http://www.nimh.nih.gov/autismiacc/CongApprCommRep.pdf ).  It was an ambitious, sometimes brilliant document.  It was a step-by-step plan to find treatments, preventions and for some even a cure for autism in ten years time.