Encouragement: Military Families Fighting for More Than Just Peace

Welcome back,

Did you know one out of 88 military kids have autism? That’s an alarming statistic, but surprisingly accurate. Researchers say that these numbers “paint a more realistic picture” about the large number of autistic children of military families . Where does that leave our soldiers? Worrying about their kids as they fight to protect Americans, waging a war on terrorism. As you know, autism is not an easy disability to live with; it requires several hours a day of applied behavioral analysis in order to teach them to function in the real world.

That’s not an easy task, considering the military currently covers only a part of the therapy costs. According to program, most military families receive only 10 to 14 hours of the 25 needed each week for the therapy. The rest may have to be paid out of pocket by the family; Congress is considering providing more help. We need to pray for these families.

— Citation for TV Program: “Battle Against Autism ” News segment Tisha Thompson reporting, Fox channel 5 WTTG Washington DC, News at 10 pm, November 9, 2009