Just ten years ago, 1 in 2,500 children were diagnosed with autism in this country. Today, it is 1 in 166. That's 50 children every day, 3 children every hour. The cost of caring for a person with autism throughout his or her lifetime is estimated to be between $5 million and $10 million. With 1.5 million cases of autism in this country alone, this epidemic will have far reaching effects throughout our country for years to come. Epidemiologists estimate the number of children with autism in the US could reach 4 million in the next decade, causing a catastrophic health crisis with deep humanitarian and economic implications.

While we race to find a cure for autism through increased funding for research, children with autism are growing quickly into adolescents and young adults. This means a transition from the education system, which is required by law, to an adult services system that is already struggling to meet the growing needs of the autism community. It is hard to imagine how this already overtaxed adult services system will prepare to address the 900 percent increase of children with autism as they begin to turn 21.

A premier school for individuals with autism located in Plainview, the Genesis School is part of the Eden II Programs, an internationally known non-profit organization serving individuals with autism since 1976. Their mission is to "provide people specialized community based programs and other opportunities with the goal of enabling them to achieve the highest possible quality of living across their life spans".

The Eden II/Genesis School is the only school on Long Island committed to providing services exclusively to individuals with autism throughout their entire lives. As a distinguished educational facility originally started through advocacy efforts of parents, Genesis has grown to be a comprehensive array of programs serving over 30 students in the school program, 12 participants in two new residences and over 100 children in family support and outreach programs throughout Long Island.

The opening of the first specialized group home residence reunited the families of four children who were forced to be placed in out-of-state facilities, some as young as 4 years old when they left their homes almost ten years ago. Now young adolescents, they face the same challenges many adolescents and young adults with autism around the country are facing. They are aging out of the educational system, creating a monumental challenge to provide the services they will need as adults because of the limited resources now available.

Dr. Joanne Gerenser, executive director of Eden II/Genesis School and an internationally known expert on autism for 30 years has been involved in the clinical research and development of best practices for this growing adult population and shared this information and concerns with the public at a meeting that was recently held at the school. Critical issues for preparing for the large number of individuals with autism entering the adult services system in the next few years was addressed.