Autism Awareness and Use of the Ad Council

In light of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Autism Speaks and the Ad Council have come together to create an ad promoting autism awareness.


http://blog.autismspeaks.org/2010/02/23/did-you-know/

The ad features a child in snowsuit on skis with the text 'Odds of a child becoming an Olympic athlete 1 in 29,000. Odds of a child being diagnosed with autism 1 in 110.

The ad also features text at the bottom that highlights some of the signs to look for such as no smiling by 6 months, no babbling by 12 months, and no words by 16 months.

This ad seems effective, especially since so many parents have big dreams for their kids when it comes to sports or other types of extra-curricular achievements. The numbers next to each other are haunting, and the ad is very memorable. The blog post that the ad premiered in included a link to autismvotes.com which encourages people to talk to their representatives about raising autism research funding.

Autism and Insurance

Recently, autismvotes.org, which is a subsection of autismspeaks.com has launched a FAQ section regarding each state's policy on autism and insurance reform. For instance, in Texas if a child under 10 is diagnosed with autism, the health plan required will need to cover all autism-related health problems, as specified by the child's primary physician. Some of these health problems may require Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, in addition to medications or dietary professionals needed to aid in the child's nutritional well-being.

This varies by state, and some states have not yet voted on the bill. In addition, small-employers are not required to cover general recognized services relating to autism spectrum disorders.

Top Ten Research Achievements in Autism

The most recent news coming from the 'Autism Speaks' social change group, is their announcement of the top ten research achievements in autism, of 2009. Some of these include, early intervention for toddlers, new genome studies, and break-throughs on language regression studies.

Additionally, the autismspeaks.com website touched on a recent news story about a Texas mother who is asking for increased teacher training after she found bruises on her autistic son.

First Entry

This blog is intended to examine how the social change group 'Autism Speaks' presents information and pushes for change, including increased public awareness and legislative action regarding people with autism.

Currently, 'Autism Speaks' is raising awareness by alerting people about a new study by the CDC, which reports that autism effects 1 in every 110 American children. 'Autism Speaks' is now asking the government to increasing funding on autism research.