Again with that urban myth about divorce rate!
by Beth
A story in the New York Daily News described how 150 strollers set up in Central Park on World Autism Awareness Day helped make New Yorkers aware that one in 150 children are diagnosed with autism.
It looked like a gigantic play date, but the 150 baby strollers lined up in Central Park Thursday were there for a far more serious reason.
The story went on to interview parents of children with autism. It was a good article, really, except for one quote.
Actress Holly Robinson Peete, whose 11-year-old son, Rodney, is autistic, said the disorder puts a strain on families.
“My husband and I – with an 80% divorce rate [for couples with autistic children] – had to do a lot to keep our family intact,” Peete said.
I am not questioning whether Peete and her husband had to do a lot to keep their family intact; I’m just getting tired of that urban myth about the high divorce rate. Last year’s Easter Seals’ Living with Autism Study provided us with quantifiable information that families living with autism are significantly less likely to be divorced than families with children without special needs. Among those parents with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder and who have been divorced, only one-third said their divorce had anything to do with managing the special needs of their children.