About 1 in 68 children have autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other studies suggest it might be even more common than that. Furthermore, a 2015 report from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute found that an estimated 500,000 people with autism will enter adulthood in the next 10 years. What do they face?

Almost 9 in 10 young adults with autism will live with a parent at some point after high school, compared with about 20 percent of the general population. "The employment and housing situation for people with autism lags way behind," Michael Bernick, a fellow with the Milken Institute, told The Dallas Morning News' Sabriya Rice.

At least 40 percent of those with autism also have an intellectual disability, and the cost of supporting these individuals is estimated to average $2.4 million over their lifetime. Even for those without an intellectual disability, lifetime costs can reach $1.4 million, according to a 2014 study.

These are challenges that can't be easily solved, which is why it's so promising to see a Dallas couple's plans to alleviate some of those difficulties.

Clay Heighten and his wife, Debra Caudy, are preparing to turn a former polo ranch in Denton County into a nearly 29-acre community specially designed for adults with autism. The planned $12 million community, with around 200 workers, would include a 7,100-square-foot community center, 15 homes, and a special "transitional academy" to help young autistic adults learn to live and work more independently.

Heighten, a retired emergency doctor who now works in real estate, and Caudy, a retired medical oncologist, were inspired by Jon, their 19-year-old son who has severe autism and requires significant support. Worried that Jon and others like him have limited options as adults, the couple is "trying to create something that would provide an enriched quality of life, so that people like Jon eventually require less supervision."

29 Acres, a community for young adults with autism that is being planned in Cross Roads, Texas, will include a transition academy meant to help young adults with autism gains skills so that they may one day live and work independently. (Clay Heighten and Debra Caudy)

The couple bought the land for $745,000 in October 2015. They're still raising money, but already have $1 million committed from a handful of donors. The couple hopes to begin construction by this fall, with four homes built during the first phase. Ideally, the first set of residents could move into the community by 2018.

It's unclear how the costs of the community will be met; its transition program alone is expected to cost about $50,000 per student. The couple hopes scholarships will help cover the academy, which is being designed with help from Jeff Ross, founder and director of similar programs in Arizona and California.

While a few questions remain about the project, one thing is clear: "The need is enormous," as Caudy noted. We hope to see even more leadership from people like Heighten and Caudy. It is so needed.