NASCAR and Autism

As many of you know, I am a rather big NASCAR fan. I have been following NASCAR for over 15 years.
Favorite driver of all time? Dale Earnhart
Favorite driver now(last 10 years)? Bobby Labonte
Drivers that I follow? Elliot Sadler , Tony Sterwart, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray

Why am I bring this up? Simple, to explain why Autism needs to be researched until a cure can be found.

Hermie Sadler has three daughters, Halie is autistic. Hermie knows first hand the challenges associated with having a autistic child.

Elliott Sadler is Halie's uncle and NASCAR Driver. “It’s not to tell you how to deal with it. It’s not to dwell on how bad it could be for us, but how good it can get.”1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism impacts 1 in every 150 American children and almost 1 in 94 boys, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS – combined.

There is no known cause, no known cure. We do know that therapies are very helpful to those afflicted with autism. The problem is that the lifetime cost to care for an autistic child is between $3.5 million to $5 million, according to the Autism Society of America (ASA).

Autism is defined by the ASA as “a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills.”

Honestly, it is SO much more than that. Autism not only affects the child, it affects the family and friends of the child.

We need research to find the causes, and yes, I believe that autism is a result of something. We need monetary assistance for families, be it by foundations or by insurance. We need HELP!


1 Yahoo sports