Autism Awareness Month is here and Bob and Suzanne Wright, the founders of the leading advocacy organization Autism Speaks, joined HuffPost to discuss their initiative "Light It Up Blue."
After the Wrights' first grandson, Christian, was diagnosed with autism, the couple was inspired to found their organization in 2005. "We thought we were pretty informed people, but we had no idea what autism was," Wright told host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani. "I thought my God, with all our resources, what do the people do that don't have any resources? How do they take care of these children that are being diagnosed with autism?"
Bob Wright, former Chairman of NBC Universal, discussed how statistically -- looking at "all the math for all the diseases" -- autism is the "most prevalent" of them all.
Autism has increased by 30 percent in the United States, now affecting 1 in 68 children, and 1 in 42 boys.
"Because this is a neurological issue and because medical associations don't really have a handle on it, they sort of get away from it and these parents, these families are left to struggle with a tremendous burden without medical help, without hospital help, without government help, all paying out of their own pockets for their children, then their teenagers, then their adults, and it goes on," Wright said.
For all you New Yorkers, don't forget to look at the blue light beaming from the Empire State Building on April 2.
Learn more about the "Light It Up Blue" campaign here and watch the full interview below.
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