Who Cares About Autism?

I don't really know. I spent quite a bit of time looking for comparison charts and the most updated numbers. Nothing was apples to apples, so here is what I've discovered so far. We all know that other childhood diseases and disorders get far more funding than Autism. Again, I'm not saying that ASD is a disease. It's a disorder where children need services to maximize their potential and remedy the disabling aspects. It's a disorder that's getting minimal funding and attention compared to others. Not a good thing. I'm pissed!

Here is how we look compared to Cancer.

For example:
According to GAO and SEER of the National Cancer Institute, 1998:
12,400 children 20 and under have a childhood cancer.
2,500 died that year.
A newborn male has a 1 in 300 chance of developing a childhood cancer by age 20.
1 in 333 chance for a newborn female.
8,600 children were diagnosed with cancer and about 1,500 children died from the disease in 2001.

According to the CDC, 500 thousand children aged 0-21 have an ASD, but only 100 thousand are served under the IDEA. This doesn't included children without a diagnosis, or children that don't have services from their district.

Now here is how the funding looks compared to cancer:

According to the shiny new Combating Autism website, there will be 900 million for autism funding, whatever that means. Then we have AGRE from CAN, and of course NAAR, Generation Rescue, ASA, and a myriad of other organizations raising money out there. Private and government together, I wonder what that figure is. Anyone know?

I was unable to find a handy number for childhood cancer or pediatric aids. I'd appreciate any info/links. If I find something later, I'll post it.