ABC News just had a segment on autism. I think these were the salient points- 300,000 kids in the US between ages of 4 and 17 are autistic; about 5 or 6 in 1000 (are now born autistic?); and autism is becomming more common in boys than girls. Other than that it was about the difficulty in diagnosing and not knowing what to look for (often resulting in late diagnosis).

Well, that is me with my son Henry. The picture was taken on Hawk Mountain, a place which Henry usually enjoys. But for some reason, on the hike back down from the top (it's about a mile) he felt the need to stop every few yards, let out a soul-shattering cry of rage and despair, and give me a very hard hug.