MONROE April was recognized across the United States as National Autism Month and served as an opportunity for everyone to educate the public about autism and the issues within the autism community.

Resident Kimberley Toto decided to go bigger this year and promoted more awareness during World Autism Awareness Day April 2, and not only included the schools but made it a community wide event and asked the two local communities to light it up blue.

This marked her third year promoting this campaign through Autism Speaks, where prominent buildings across North America turned their lights blue in honor of World Autism Awareness Day.

The Empire State Building in New York City did the same thing to promote awareness for the condition.

Inspired by this, Ms. Toto used spotlights and blue Christmas lights on her home in April.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors, according to the Autism Speaks website, http://www.autismspeaks.org.

When my daughter was diagnosed it was 1 in 150. In the last several years the numbers increased to 1 in 110, Ms. Toto said. Right before the month of April 2012, the Centers for Disease Control came out with new numbers. It is now 1 in 88 kids that are affected with some form of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).

Autism statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify around 1 in 88 American children as on the autism spectruma 10-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years, according to the organization. Careful research shows that this increase is only partly explained by improved diagnosis and awareness.

Studies also show that autism is three to four times more common among boys than girls. An estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States, according to the Autism Speaks website.

By way of comparison, this is more children than are affected by diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Down syndrome, combined, according to the organization.

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MONROE: Towns went âBlueâ for National Autism Month