Today, as the world remembers and honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., each of us will likely think of different things that Dr. King did to change the future. His civil rights work served as a catalyst to alter the social landscape of our society for ever – for the better. Many of us (most of us probably) will recall, with wonder and admiration, his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

As I remember Dr. King on this important day, I can’t help but think about the fact that like Dr. King, many of us have a dream for the future of our kids – especially our kids with special needs.

Our children with special needs deserve so much.

I dream of a future where our kids are included and accepted.

I dream of a time when our kids with special needs (all of them, not just the kids whose parents can afford it) will receive the treatments they need and deserve (without parents going emotionally and financially bankrupt and providers having to jump through unnecessary hoops to provide those therapies).

I dream of a future where there will be fewer and fewer debilitating cases of Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Since the 1930’s we have witnessed an explosion. Too many children (and families) are suffering: significantly impaired communication, painful bowel disease, life-threatening seizure disorders, and frighteningly high numbers of wandering-related deaths…just to name a few of the most devastating effects for some families living with ASD.

As a society we need to take a cold, hard look at what has changed in our world to bring about such an onslaught of children with so many hard-hitting disabilities (which extends far beyond Autism to include Asthma, life-threatening allergies, ADHD, Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and so much more.) As I’ve done in the past, I will continue to dig into environmental concerns and share what I discover.

Like Dr. King, I have a dream. Do you?

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Leigh Attaway Wilcox is a writer and editor for the projectLD family of companies. Leigh is Assistant Editor of the internationally acclaimed AutismSpot.com and her work can be found on many of the pLDNetworks sites. Leigh is a guest blogger for the Dallas Morning News on the Dallas Moms Blog and is the author of ALL BETTER: A Touch-and-Heal Book published by Piggy Toes Press in 2007. Leigh lives in North Texas with her husband and young son who loves reading, LEGOs, Mario Bros. and also happens to live with Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder.