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[From an organization announcement. Zogby is
a known, established
pollster.]]
 One
out of every four Americans knows someone with
autism,
according to a poll released today by the Organization
for Autism Research (OAR).
The results show that autism, a neurobiological
disorder that typically
affects a person's ability to communicate, form
relationships, and respond
appropriately to the environment, may be far more
widespread than commonly
believed.
The poll of 1,401 adults, conducted by Zogby International
showed
that 26 percent of Americans "were personally
familiar with someone who has
autism." In the majority of these cases (37%)
it was a friend or
neighbor, but 14% were immediate family members.
In another 11% of cases the person.
with autism was a more distant relative, and the
remainder represented
various business, community or health care contacts.
The high incidence of autism also appeared to
impose high social and
financial costs according to the poll results.
Nearly one quarter of
those who knew someone with autism reported that
it had increased "stress on
social and family ties;" 21% had had to implement
some form of daily care;
and 11% were suffering financial hardship as a
result of autism.
"This shows that autism is no longer a disorder
that can be ignored," said Michael Maloney,
executive director of OAR. "Millions of Americans
are being impacted. There is a tremendous burden
on families, schools,
treatment programs and social services. Now more
than ever, we need
research to determine the best methods of early
intervention, education,
vocational training and life care."
OAR is an organization formed and led by parents
and grandparents of
children and adults with autism. OAR's mission
is to put applied research
to work providing answers to questions that parents,
families, individuals
with autism, teachers, and caregivers confront
each day. OAR accomplishes
this by funding research studies designed to investigate
treatments,
educational approaches, and statistical aspects
of the autism community.
No other autism organization has this singular
focus. (More information on
OAR can be found at www.autismorg.com)
For more information about the Zogby poll, contact
Michael V.
Maloney,Executive Director of OAR at mmaloney@autismorg.com
or (703)351-5031.
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http://people.sca.uqam.ca/~peter/peter_home.html
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