. ♪ good morning academy how are you ♪ >> 3-year-old aiden meyers was diagnosed with autism last summer i tried to prepare myself for it. i told myself i was going to be okay with it. and today -- it was a hard day. >> aiden is among the children, 1 in 54 are boys. now diagnosed with some disorder that falls in what is called the autism spectrum. that's a 23% increase from the last survey taken two years earlier, according to the cdc. >> since 20002, the prevalence has increased 78%. >> no one is sure what is behind the numbers, but many experts believe part of it is a greater awareness among the medical establishment and among parents. and many experts say that problems that used to be labeled disorders, ranging from mental retardation to learning disabilities are now diagnosed as autism. >> the way we diagnose autism spectrum disorders has changed. we're more inclusive. we include people with more cognitive abilities and less severe problems than we have in the past. >> what have you got in your pocket? >> sticks. >> sticks? >> no one doubts aiden meyers' diagnosis, but he's not the c