EXCERPT from my April 3, 2019 column:
For me, April is not about Fools’ Day or any other holiday. This month is dedicated for Autism Awareness. In fact, April 2 is an internationally recognized day known as World Autism Awareness Day. The yearly event aims to encourage all Member States of the United Nations “to take measures to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world.”
As one of only seven official health-specific UN Days, the World Autism Awareness Day brings individual autism organizations together all around the world to aid in things like research, diagnoses, treatment, and overall acceptance for those affected by this developmental disorder.
Autismspeaks.org defines autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as “a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.”
It is very common that people with ASD suffer with difficulty with communication and interaction with other people, restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, and symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life.
As the word spectrum suggests, ASD is not limited to one type or case as it is known to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. This means that there are no two people with ASD to exhibit the same type of behavior and symptoms. It ranges from the mild to the severe, which oftentimes relate to the level of functioning of a certain person from lo to high functioning.
This also implies the fact that each person with ASD has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. It is clear that some people with ASD may require significant support in their daily lives, while others may need less support and, in some cases, live entirely independently.
The Shift from “Autism Awareness Month” to “Autism Acceptance Month”
The Autism Society of America is leading the shift of calling the advocacy campaign every April from Autism Awareness Month to Autism Acceptance Month to "foster acceptance to ignite change through improved support and opportunities in education, employment, accessible housing, affordable health care, and comprehensive long-term services," says Christopher Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America.
More than spreading awareness to let more people understand autism and its challenges, we, parents of children with autism also yearn for something more than others being informed about what autism is all about. We look forward to that day, and hopefully it will happen very soon, when people will be more sympathetic, supportive, and accepting of our children.
We do not just wish our kids to feel included everywhere they go, be this at school, at the workplace, or even in public places, but we also want them to feel that they can do things the same way we can do them. They may be special or different, but they are definitely not less.