UNITED -- UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon on Wednesday said autism demands the collective attention of the international community.

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The statement came as Ban addressed a United Nations panel discussion aimed at strengthening regional and international collaboration to help treat the developmental disorder.

"More and more children are being diagnosed with autistic conditions. Autism strikes without discrimination -- but people living with autism can suffer intolerable discrimination that must stop," said Ban.

Autism is a disorder that affects the brain's development of social and communication skills, and generally appears in the first three years of life.

The secretary-general called for unified efforts to raise funds and help "turn workable solutions into practical actions" to raise autism awareness.

"Our challenge is to move people from misunderstanding to empathy. This is a movement, a global movement, that goes beyond people with autism and their families. This is a movement to create a better world for all of us," he added.