Landmarks around the world, including New York’s Empire State Building, will shine blue lights on Wednesday to show their support for autism awareness. Organizations large and small will host events to raise awareness of the growing public health issue of autism spectrum disorders.

World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) follows a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Statistics show, According to the report, one in 68 American children have an autism diagnosis, a 30 percent increase from a CDC study conducted last year, and more than double the number of children estimated to have autism in a 2000 study.

Experts do not know whether autism is actually affecting more people or whether diagnoses have increased as awareness of the disorder grows. According to CDC estimates, approximately 1.2 million people under the age of 21 in the U.S. have some form of autism.

Autism continues to be more prevalent in boys than in girls, with boys being diagnosed at a rate that is four and a half times greater than the rate for girls. Autism is also diagnosed more commonly in white children than in Hispanic or African-American children, which researchers believe is primarily due to a difference in reporting rather than in actual prevalence of the disorder.

Autism awareness focuses on the push for earlier diagnoses. Currently, autism can be diagnosed as early as age two, but most diagnoses are made around age four and a half. Greater awareness could result in earlier diagnoses, and researchers are currently studying ways of identifying higher risks of developing autism even in infants. The earlier a risk of autism can be identified, the earlier that intensive interventions can make a positive impact on the child’s development.

The Health and Human Services Department announced that it is launching an “unprecedented” initiative to help with earlier diagnoses, including research-based screening tools that families can use to identify possible indicators of autism in their children.

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While it took a year to get to court, the driver of a van that killed a pregnant mother and her unborn child was sentenced to 7 to 15 years in prison. The accident happened in 2009 near the Empire State Building on the wedding anniversary of the dead woman.

The driver of the van had a blood alcohol level way over the legal limit when he drove his vehicle on to a sidewalk and pinned the mother to a wall. The woman he killed was a mother of three and had another child on the way when she was killed. Keston Brown was convicted of manslaughter, assault and drunk driving, but acquitted of aggravated vehicular homicide – a felony with a 25-year prison term.

On sentencing, Brown said he suffers every day for what he did, but that did not stop the courts from handing down a hefty sentence for his willful, wanton and recklessness in driving while under the influence, killing Ysemny Ramos and injuring her friend. The evidence presented in court showed that Brown had downed three beers and a shot of cognac just an hour before he killed Ramos. He initially blamed the accident on a mechanical failure that caused him to lose control of his vehicle.

The evidence told another story when eyewitnesses reported he was speeding up and slowing down so a friend could whistle at women. But for the fact that Brown had been drinking before the accident and not totally “with it” while behind the wheel of his van, Ysemny Ramos would still be alive, as would her unborn child. The grieving family would no doubt want to discuss this case with a wrongful death lawyer – a lawsuit that could be filed even while the defendant was in jail.

Losing a mother of three so suddenly and tragically would be a major shock to the family. Bills would keep on coming and they would wonder how they would be able to pay them. The quickest solution to paying bills as a result of an accident would be to apply for lawsuit funding from a litigation funding company. It is user friendly to apply and does not take long to fill out an application online or by phone.

The pre-settlement funding is typically sent to a qualified applicant within 48 hours after their case is approved for a lawsuit cash advance. It does not take long to approve a case, as the legal finance company is right on the ball and responds quickly. They know when someone applies for a lawsuit cash advance that they need help right away.

An emergency lawsuit cash advance is funding that helps the plaintiff pay their bills and hang on until his or her case goes to court. In the meantime, if an insurance company courts them with a low settlement offer, they can turn them down. With pre-settlement funding on hand, they can deal with any financial issue thrown their way until the case is settled in court.

Daren Monroe writes for Litigation Funding Corp. To learn more about lawsuit funding and litigation funding, visit Litigationfundingcorp.com.