Sources

Nothing on these pages is written from memory. Each claim below names where it came from and the date it was read, so you can check it yourself or hand it to a clinician, a teacher or a lawyer.

What autism is, and how common

• CDC, Signs and Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder: "a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain"; the everyday examples (not responding to name by 9 months, not pointing by 18 months). cdc.gov/autism/signs-symptoms
• CDC, Clinical diagnosis of ASD (the DSM-5 criteria): the two domains, the sensory criterion, "apparent indifference to pain/temperature", and that signs may be masked by learned strategies later in life. cdc.gov/autism/hcp/diagnosis
• CDC ADDM Network, surveillance year 2022, published 17 April 2025: 32.2 per 1,000 (1 in 31) 8-year-olds; 3.4 times as prevalent among boys (49.2) as girls (14.3); 39.6% with intellectual disability among children with cognitive data; sites from 9.7 per 1,000 (Laredo, Texas) to 53.1 (California), which CDC attributes to differences in evaluation and testing practice. cdc.gov/mmwr ss7402a1 · cdc.gov/autism/data-research
• Hughes et al., Public Health Reports, 2023, "The Prevalence and Characteristics of Children With Profound Autism, 15 Sites, United States, 2000-2016": 26.7% of autistic 8-year-olds met the profound-autism definition (nonverbal, minimally verbal, or IQ under 50). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37074176
• The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism (Lord et al., 2022): the proposal of "profound autism" as an administrative term for people who are minimally verbal or non-verbal, cannot advocate for themselves, and need 24-hour access to an adult. The Lancet blocks automated reading; the record is on PubMed. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34883054
• Autistic Self Advocacy Network, "Functioning labels harm autistic people" (December 2021): the objection that the definition "conflates needing 24/7 support with having a measured IQ of 50 or below or being nonspeaking", "a harmful oversimplification". autisticadvocacy.org
• Kenny et al., Autism, 2016, "Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community": 3,470 respondents; "autistic" endorsed by a large percentage of autistic adults and by considerably fewer professionals; "person with autism" by almost half of professionals but fewer autistic adults; no single term universally accepted. journals.sagepub.com · PubMed
• NICHD, What causes autism?: "a great deal of evidence supports the idea that genes are one of the main causes of or a major contributor to ASD"; "more than 100 genes on different chromosomes may be involved". nichd.nih.gov
• American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, "Vaccine Studies: Examine the Evidence": "decades of high-quality, large-scale studies show that vaccines do not cause autism"; the 1998 study "was retracted in 2010"; "no causal association was found between ASD and thimerosal (mercury)". healthychildren.org
• CDC, "Autism and Vaccines", as it read on 5 September 2026: the page now states that "the claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim" and says it was changed under the Data Quality Act. It is cited here so a reader who opens it is not surprised. The site quotes the AAP for the research position instead, and says so on the page. cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/autism

Across a lifetime, and what comes with it

• National Autistic Society, Masking: "a strategy used by some autistic people, consciously or unconsciously, to appear non-autistic in order to fit in and be accepted in society"; the costs (exhaustion, mental health difficulties, loss of sense of self); that autistic women, girls and non-binary people "may be more likely to mask"; "misdiagnosis, late diagnosis or under-diagnosis of autism, preventing the person from getting appropriate support". autism.org.uk
• Lai et al., The Lancet Psychiatry, 2019, "Prevalence of co-occurring mental health diagnoses in the autism population: a systematic review and meta-analysis": the pooled figures for ADHD, anxiety, depression and OCD quoted on the what-is page. Read from the abstract by the drafting session on 2026-09-05; PubMed blocked a second automated read the same day, so open it once by hand before relying on a decimal. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31447415
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "Autism's Clinical Companions": epilepsy affects 25% to 40% of patients with ASD, against 2% to 3% of the general population. chop.edu
• American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, Autism Spectrum Disorder: "Commonly co-occurring conditions may include seizures, problems with sleep, gastrointestinal problems (feeding problems, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea) and behavioral health issues such as anxiety, ADHD, irritability and aggression." healthychildren.org
• Frontiers / PMC review of gastrointestinal problems in autism (PMC9299106): chronic constipation "in up to 80% of autistic children", and its association with more severe behavioural symptoms. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• King's College London, on the 2025 review in the Annual Review of Developmental Psychology: 89% of autistic people aged 40 to 59 and 97% of those 60 and over estimated to be undiagnosed in the UK; until recently less than 1% of autism research focused on older people. kcl.ac.uk
• National Autistic Society, Meltdowns: "an intense response to an overwhelming situation"; "not the same as a temper tantrum. It is not bad or naughty behaviour"; the shutdown response and the "rumble stage". autism.org.uk
• Cochrane, Reichow et al., 2018, early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI): five studies, 219 children, one randomised; gains on adaptive behaviour, IQ and language; "no evidence at post-treatment that EIBI improves autism symptom severity"; "weak evidence that EIBI may be an effective behavioral treatment for some children with ASD". cochrane.org
• National Autistic Society, talking about and disclosing a diagnosis: parents of older children should decide with the child who gets told. autism.org.uk

Safety: wandering, water, restraint, police

• National Autism Association, Drowning risk and Autism Safety Facts: "Always call 911 immediately and search nearby water first"; 49% of autistic children attempt to elope, nearly four times the rate of their siblings (attributed to Anderson et al., Pediatrics, 2012); nearly one third of incidents from a school setting; "in 2024, 91% of U.S. wandering fatalities were caused by drowning"; the 160-times drowning risk (attributed to a 2017 Columbia University study); the six-year mortality study's 71% drowning share. The two drowning figures come from two different studies over different years, and both pages are quoted as written. drowning-risk · autism-safety-facts
• National Autism Association, Big Red Safety Toolkit and Box: the 911 script, "search nearby water sources first", swimming lessons with the final lesson in clothes and shoes, the box's contents and the one-per-family rule. big-red-safety-box · the toolkit (PDF)
• Autism Society of America, Water and Wandering: 74% of elopement from a home; an average of 41.5 minutes missing; parents most often contacted neighbours first. autismsociety.org
• CDC, Wandering (disability safety): "About half of children and youth with ASD were reported to wander"; "1 in 4 were missing long enough to cause concern and were most commonly in danger of drowning or traffic injury". cdc.gov
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Autism: drowning "most often occurs within a few hundred feet to a half mile of the missing location and within a few minutes"; 24-hour call centre 1-800-843-5678. missingkids.org
• US Department of Education, Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document: "Prone (i.e., lying face down) restraints or other restraints that restrict breathing should never be used because they can cause serious injury or death"; restraint or seclusion "should not be used except in situations where the child's behavior poses imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others"; never as punishment; parents notified after each instance. ed.gov (PDF)
• Autism Society of America, First Responder: "approximately 1 in 5 young adults with Autism will interact with a police officer before the age of 21". autismsociety.org/first-responder
• ASHA, Augmentative and Alternative Communication: there are no prerequisites for considering or introducing AAC, including with very young children; low-tech AAC includes gestures, signs and picture boards. asha.org
• Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222, free, confidential, around the clock. poisonhelp.hrsa.gov

School

• CDC, "Learn the Signs. Act Early", If you're concerned: contact early intervention for a child under 3, "you do not need to wait for a doctor's referral or a medical diagnosis to make this call", the free evaluation, and the script for a child of 3 or older. cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/concerned
• IDEA regulations, sites.ed.gov: 300.301(c), the evaluation "within 60 days of receiving parental consent" or the state's own timeframe; 300.320(b), transition planning "not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 16"; 300.502(b), "the right to an independent educational evaluation at public expense if the parent disagrees"; 300.503(a), prior written notice; 300.530(b), (e) and (f), the ten consecutive school days, the manifestation determination within 10 school days and its two questions, the functional behavioral assessment and behavioral intervention plan; 300.137(a), no individual right to services for a parentally placed private school child. 300.301 · 300.320 · 300.502 · 300.503 · 300.530 · 300.137
• US Department of Education, Section 504: "prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education". ed.gov
• OSERS Dear Colleague Letter on bullying, 20 August 2013: students with disabilities are significantly more likely than their peers to be bullied, and bullying that denies a child the benefit of their education is the school's problem under IDEA; the 2014 OCR letter adds the Section 504 disability-harassment framing. sites.ed.gov (2013) · ed.gov (2014, PDF)
• Center for Parent Information and Resources: nearly 100 Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers, families birth to 26; requesting an evaluation, consent, "at no cost to parents"; the dispute routes (mediation, state complaint, due process, resolution session). find-your-center · evaluation · disputes
• GOV.UK, Children with special educational needs: who can request an EHC needs assessment; the authority decides within 16 weeks and has 20 weeks from the request to issue the final plan. gov.uk

Adult life and money

• KFF, waiting lists for Medicaid home and community-based services, 2016 to 2023: "over 692,000 in 2023"; an average wait of 36 months; people with intellectual or developmental disabilities "waited the longest for services, 50 months on average". kff.org
• Medicaid.gov, Home and Community-Based Services and the 1915(c) waiver: respite among the named services; waivers may be targeted by diagnosis, autism included; states set the number of places. medicaid.gov
• Social Security Administration, SSI resources and deeming: the resource limit of $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple; parental deeming stops "in the month following the month in which you attain age 18". Read through ssa.gov's own indexed pages on 2026-09-05; the pages refused a direct automated read the same day. SSI resources · deeming · becoming an adult
• ABLE National Resource Center: disability onset "before age 46" (the ABLE Age Adjustment Act, effective 1 January 2026); "up to $100,000 of ABLE funds is not a countable resource for Supplemental Security Income"; the 2026 contribution limit is on its own page and changes each year. ablenrc.org
• Administration for Community Living: supported decision-making as "an alternative to guardianship where individuals retain their right to make decisions for themselves, with the support of trusted individuals they choose". acl.gov
• Rehabilitation Services Administration: the state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies. rsa.ed.gov/about/states
• EEOC, reasonable accommodation: a request needs no special words and need not mention the ADA. eeoc.gov
• USA.gov, Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8): run by HUD through local public housing agencies; long waits are common and a list may close. usa.gov
• Drexel University, National Autism Indicators Report (2015): 58% of young adults on the autism spectrum worked for pay between high school and their early twenties. An older figure, quoted as such. drexel.edu
• Selective Service System: who must register. sss.gov
• IRS Topic 502 and the child and dependent care credit; DOL, FMLA: the 7.5% of adjusted gross income threshold; care for "a disabled spouse or dependent of any age who is incapable of self-care"; "up to 12 workweeks" and the "age 18 or older and incapable of self-care" clause. irs.gov · dol.gov
• Freedman et al., Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2012: 77,911 parent interviews; "no evidence to suggest that children with ASD are at an increased risk for living in a household not comprised of their two biological or adoptive parents". The 28-year follow-up (PMC10524399): about 36% experienced a parental divorce by age 30, with no direct comparison group. springer.com · pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Helplines, support and the church

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, chat online, 24/7/365; "people do not have to be suicidal to call". 988lifeline.org
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741, free, 24/7. crisistextline.org
• Autism Society of America, National Helpline: 1-800-328-8476, Info@AutismSociety.org; information and referral, not a crisis line, no direct services; no hours are posted. autismsociety.org/helpline
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, 24/7. thehotline.org
• National Autistic Society (UK), help and support, and urgent help: Parent to Parent, the online community; "does not offer a crisis or emergency service"; 999, 111 option 2, Samaritans 116 123, text "shout" to 85258. autism.org.uk
• ARCH National Respite Network, definition and locator: respite as "planned or emergency care" giving "temporary relief to family caregivers"; the locator is "for informational purposes only" and does not verify providers. archrespite.org
• Family Voices, Family-to-Family Health Information Centers: "family-led organizations that support families of children and youth with special health care needs", in every state and territory. familyvoices.org
• Sibling Support Project, Sibshops: peer support for siblings of children with disabilities in a recreational setting. The site refused automated reading on 2026-09-05; the description comes from its own indexed pages and Seattle Children's. siblingsupport.org
• AANE, spouses and partners: a monthly group for non-autistic partners and coaching for neurodiverse couples. The site refused automated reading on 2026-09-05; description from its own indexed pages. aane.org
• Autistic Self Advocacy Network, resources: plain language guides including Welcome to the Autistic Community! and Your Vote Counts. autisticadvocacy.org
• 211: "connects you to expert, caring help", including caregiver resources; the page does not claim 24/7, so neither does this site. 211.org
• Whitehead, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2018: the odds of children with autism never attending religious services were 1.84 times higher than for children without a chronic condition. Wiley blocked automated reading; the figure is as reported by Christianity Today and Lifeway Research. wiley.com · lifeway.com
• Key Ministry and Joni and Friends: their own self-descriptions and programmes. keyministry.org · joniandfriends.org
• FDA on "Miracle Mineral Solution": the 2020 warning letter naming MMS "an unapproved new drug", and the consumer update's wording (drinking it "is the same as drinking bleach"; vomiting, life-threatening low blood pressure, methemoglobinemia, QT prolongation, deaths). The consumer update refused automated reading on 2026-09-05; open it once by hand. fda.gov warning letter · fda.gov consumer update
• CDC MMWR, deaths associated with hypocalcemia from chelation therapy, 2006: the 5-year-old autistic boy who died during IV chelation in August 2005, and the brand names "used interchangeably". cdc.gov/mmwr

Scripture

All quotations are the Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Each was checked verbatim on BibleHub's BSB text on 2026-09-05, because berean.bible returned errors that day. Psalm 139:13-14 on the what-is page, 1 Corinthians 12:22 on the friends page, Galatians 6:2 on the real-help page. Psalm 139 · 1 Corinthians 12 · Galatians 6