You are invited to attend the Autism Awareness Rally planned for February 27th, 2008, at noon in the Capitol Rotunda. We are inviting families from around the state to come and share their stories with their legislator and gather together in support of issues that are common to all those living with autism. It would be great to bring your children, if they can tolerate the crowd. We would like to put a Face on Autism.

Legislators and individuals connected with supporting autism issues this legislative session will speak. Currently, 1 out of 150 children are being diagnosed with autism. Often the waiting lists to receive a diagnosis and then appropriate treatment are months long. This is a difficult waiting time for families.

An Autism Spectrum Disorder can have a devastating impact on families affected by it. Several bills supported by the Autism Society of Washington are directed toward easing some of the distress families feel and thus go toward helping to preserve the family unit. Those bills are: