Light It Up Blue is annually observed on April 2nd dedicated to raising awareness of autism. Autism Speaks, the controversial autism research organization, announced the launch of the inaugural Light It Up Blue campaign in 2010. This initiative is intended to raise international awareness of autism as a growing public health crisis in support of World Autism Awareness Day and Autism Awareness month. Blue light bulbs are purchased to Light It Up Blue to raise awareness. Some people put them out on their porch. Watch for the blue lights during the month of April.
Autism Speaks and the Autism Society sent out information recently that according to the CDC report, the rate for autism is now 1 in 68, which is an increase of over 30% from the 2008 CDC report. When Matthew was diagnosed in 2002 the rate for autism was 1 in 250. Services for him to get help were minimal. As time has gone by more and more services have been provided for autism. There continues to be a growing need for services to help families and individuals with autism.
