What we know about autism is far less than what we don’t know. However what we know is disturbing.   Identified in the 1940s, autism was estimated to affect approximately 1 in 2,500-5,000 children. We now believe that number has increased to 1 in 250.   Autism strikes before the age of three and can be difficult to diagnose at the early ages when it is crucial that intervention begins for the most successful treatment. Autism is far more likely to occur in boys, and though it ranges in severity it typically involves tremendous social and communication challenges.   We don’t know precisely what causes it, why it is dramatically increasing, how to prevent it or how to cure it.   For all we don’t know, however, we DO know that the proper treatment can have an enormous impact and that treatment is more effective if begun at a young age. By supporting The Brent Woodall Foundation for Exceptional Children you are supporting an organization that focuses all of its energy on this group of affected children where it can be most effective.