Today is World Autism Awareness Day.

    If New Jersey residents were not aware of the complex developmental disability, it’s likely they are now after last week’s release of startling statistics that show the Garden State with nearly twice the incidence of autism as the national average.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States is experiencing a veritable epidemic of autism, with rates continuing to soar across the country. In New Jersey, that rate is one in 49 children; nationally, it is one in 88.

    New Jersey’s high rate does not mean there are more autistic children in the state, assures an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

    “We generally have better awareness and more sophisticated education services — that is probably why our estimates are higher,” says Walter Zahorodny, who collected the New Jersey data. 

    Still, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Robbinsville), a longtime champion of children with autism and their families, labels the new numbers “shocking.” He has reiterated his call for swifter action to determine the cause of the disorder and devise more treatments.

    While better testing may be the double-edged sword responsible for the high number of cases detected among 8-year-olds in 14 states – an earlier report put the U.S. rate at one in 150 children — the soaring incidence clearly is causing concern among health experts.

    It’s a warning that the parents and families of those with autism have been sounding for years.

    Smith, the co-chairman of the bipartisan House Coalition on Autism Research and Education, is one of the first elected officials to have heeded that warning and listened to the frustration of families with nowhere to turn.

    The Smith-sponsored Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 will allocate another $693 million over three years to fund research grants and early detection, intervention and education programs.

    No single cause for autism has been identified, according to the nationally known Eden Autism Services headquartered in Plainsboro. It’s not a mental illness, and “children with autism and related pervasive developmental disabilities are born with the disorder or the potential to develop it,” explains the Eden website.

    One of the ways to better understand the spectrum of disorders collectively labeled autism is through community outreach. Students at The College of New Jersey are setting a fine example with their week of autism-awareness events, activities and speakers.

    We may not understand the causes of autism, but its effect on children and their families is plain.

    We must, as Smith says, continue on the path toward prevention and a cure.