Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Pennsylvania Autism Census Released

Governor Edward Rendell released The Pennsylvania Autism Census today. According to the report, Pennsylvania will see a rise in the number of people with autism.

Prior to the report, the state had no accurate means to determine how many people were in need of services. They now have an idea of how many people there are and where they live.

The state will face a crisis as the number increases and those that are under 18 become adults.

In 2005 about 20,000 people in the state were living with autism. The number will be 25,000 by next year.

In 2005, more than 1,400 adults were living with autism in the state. That number will increase by 179% to more than 3,800 in 2010 and more than 10,000 by 2015.

Rendell says this report is a good tool in determining where services are needed and what they should be.

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