HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) A hospital executive is showcasing a new effort to promote awareness of autism.

Lynn Ricci, chief operating officer at Hospital for Special Care in New Britain and Hartford, will unveil Spectrum of Kindness, an online community and resource, on Wednesday.

Spectrum of Kindness was established to help promote better understanding of caring for children with autism spectrum disorder. It's intended to share accounts of autism.

Advocates are gathering at the Judiciary Room in the Capitol.

The U.S. government's estimate of autism has increased to 1 in 68 U.S. children, a 30 percent increase in two years. Health officials say the new number may not mean autism is more common.

Much of the increase is believed to be from a cultural and medical shift, with doctors diagnosing autism more frequently.