NOTE: Instead of closing factories and carnival lights, perhaps Bruce Springsteen will start singing about opening autism schools and sleepless nights.

By Anne Dachel

Wake up, New Jersey! Seriously! When the autism rate finally reaches one in 10 or one in 5, and maybe someone asks WHY, we’ll look back on stories like this one from My Central Jersey and ask why no one ever noticed the numbers continually increasing.

THIS IS HOW HOPELESS IT IS.

This is a feel good story designed to accustom us to more and more disabled children. It’s about spreading joy and helping special needs kids, which sounds good. It also has HORRIFIC AUTISM NUMBERS.

How is it possible to write like this, My Central Jersey? How dare you tell us that New Jersey has such an ever-increasing autism rate, far exceeding the national rate, WITH NO EXPLANATION! So in two more years, when the New Jersey rate is one in 28, will you be reporting that so casually too? Will autism ever matter in New Jersey?

***Mar 3, 2018, My Central Jersey: Somerset Hills YMCA, Rutgers athletes team up to spread joy

On Feb. 24, Somerset Hills YMCA, a branch of Somerset County YMCA, hosted its 13th annual Saturdays in Motion (SIM) Rutgers Day, in which 25 Scarlet Knights volunteered to support children with special needs. …

Today, more than ever, children living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) need services and support. According to the CDC’s 2016 Community Report on Autism, the diagnosis rate of ASD in New Jersey is one in 41, compared with the national rate of one in 68. The New Jersey rate marks an increase of 12 percent from the previous one in 45 statistic released in 2014.
 
As a charitable organization, Somerset County YMCA seeks to provide everyone with the opportunity to learn grow and thrive by providing programs, like SIM, that meet community needs where other services fall short.