We were overwhelmed by the reader response to Jill Escher’s piece about autism from last month.
Since we published her story, the letters have poured in. One reader said, “This is the best article I’ve ever read on this subject. You have nailed it.” Another wrote, “Your article should be read by every single person on this planet.” A post from one reader with a brother who suffers from severe autism simply stated, “Thanks for standing up for our loved ones.”
Jill is the mother of two children profoundly disabled by autism, even though she has no prior incidence of the disease in her family. Her piece revealed not just her personal story, but also the shocking rise in autism rates among children across this country. She argued that our broken political landscape—which champions autism as “a superpower”—has allowed the scientific field to give up on looking for a cause or cure. And she warned that our society is wholly unprepared to shoulder the growing burden of a generation of autistic children who are becoming adults incapable of looking after themselves.
This is a hugely important subject that deserves deeper discussion.
Which is why we are thrilled to announce that Jill Escher is joining us Thursday, August 3, at 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST in a conversation with Free Press senior editor Emily Yoffe. Jill will go deeper into the topics she touched on in her article and also take questions from you, our readers.
