Back In My Day….
According to my Gen Z son, ‘back in my day’ is an expression most proclaimed by the Boomer generation when they are sharing stories about walking back and forth to school, uphill both ways in the ice and snow.
I use the expression a lot myself as I go about declaring Gen X the best. We had the good life before the internet and social media. Ha ha.
But just today I found myself actually saying ‘back in my day’ in relation to an article sent to me by my friend Heidi. I had to do a double take to be honest. I don’t know about you, but when I see something staggering I do a few things. The first is to re-read what I just saw. As if maybe I mixed the words up or something. Then I check the source. In this case, it was an online article titled “Celebrate Autism Acceptance” so I looked at the URL to check the source.
1 in 36? Could it be?
In 2003 when my oldest was diagnosed with Autism, the lowest rate I saw was 1 in 62. So in twenty years that is a 50% increase. WOW!
The article and accompanying downloadable guide (spoiler alert the guide is just the infographic) were published by Weill Cornell Medicine as part of Autism Awareness Month this past April. The entire infographic is a great piece to help build awareness of Autism. For example, if you love someone with Autism it is so important to know the anxiety that can come with social interactions, as well as the reasons for lack of eye contact and repetitive movements. Education is always the first step in understanding any affliction.
