This really bothers me

I understand that illnesses of any kind that strike children are horrible. I understand money needs to be poured into research for these illnesses. I didn't realize how much autism is just not as funded as it needs to be. Below is a list taken from autismspeaks.org.

Prevalence vs. Private Funding

* Leukemia: Affects 1 in 1,200 / Funding: $277 million
* Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 100,000 / Funding: $162 million
* Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 300 / Funding: $394 million
* Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $156 million
* Autism: Affects 1 in 110 / Funding: $79 million

The most common disorder/disease in children today and it only gets $79 million? Don't get me wrong, these other illnesses are very important as well and it's absolutely great that they're getting so much money. But, autism is affecting 1 in 110, or 1 in 90 as some of the most recent research is showing, and it's only getting this much? As a mother with a child who has been diagnosed with autism, this almost breaks my heart. No one even knows what causes this illness, and there is nothing even CLOSE to a cure, and it only diserves $79 million... wow. It's just not even talked about that much. Unless you know someone with autism, most people just don't even know what it is. I didn't know what it was until Adrian was a year old, and that was because I googled it. Autism needs to be talked about. People needn't be ignorant about the number 1 childhood disorder. The odds are starting to stack against us. Odds are, you'll know someone who is affected by autism. I recently learned that a TV show called Parenthood has a character who has Asperger's. That's a start. But what about having a child on a TV show that has severe autism? A child that can't look you in the eye, a child who can't talk to you? A child that throws screaming fits in a store while people stare at you? Nope... TV is just an escape, I guess. Who wants to see real life on TV? Wait, as long as you have your Biggest Loser and your Jersey Shore, you're good, right? Now THAT is your daily dose of reality.