Just two decades ago, autism was a mysterious and somewhat obscure disorder, commonly associated with the movie Rain Man and savantism. It affected an estimated 1 in 5,000 children. How times have changed.

Today the CDC announced a 72 percent increase in the diagnosis of autism over the past four years. One of every 50 children aged 6 years to 17 years has an autism spectrum diagnosis.

Imagine that who you were, the way you spoke, moved and behaved was seen as wrong and in need of fixing. Just try to imagine what that must be like. Try to imagine what it might be like to be autistic.

The number of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses has grown to an average of one in 110 children today, a number that has sharply increased since...

This is part two of an interview with Paula Durbin-Westby, an (at times) non-speaking autistic adult who made a YouTube video as an example of what happens when she tries to speak during periods when she cannot.

"I think the phrase 'non-speaking at times' captures my experience and also that of others who do have speech capabilities but can't always access them. Just because one can speak at times does not mean speech is a reliable form of communication for that person."

Henry would like to attend the public school across the street from his home, but the school has denied him entry. The school told Henry they don't serve "students like Henry." Henry is autistic, non-speaking and communicates through a voice-activated iPad.

A 2012 study published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy found yoga helped improve school performance and sustained attention in children with autism.

I am not an impartial, unbiased observer, prepared to provide an even-handed summation of my observations. I am highly-opinionated and exceptionally-biased in my ever-evolving perspective on autism.