I walk around the park near my son’s day program, forcing myself to take a little time off, instead of running errands or checking things off my “to do” list.

It’s hard to stop thinking about autism, though, and everything my 22-year-old son needs.

One word in particular is weighing on me.

Profound.

This can mean “demanding deep thought,” so that’s appropriate.

Profound also means strongly felt. All-encompassing. Deep-seated or severe.

It’s heavy, this word.

The medical journal The Lancet recently published a report on the state of autism research and clinical practice to provide recommendations for how to better serve the 78 million individuals with autism around the world.

Please go to https://itslikethis.substack.com/p/profound2 for the full transcript.

The Lancet Commission’s report: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01541-5/fulltext

The Autism Science Foundation’s profiles of Profound Autism: https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/thisisprofoundautism

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