When the clock strikes Midnight on April 30th what happens to Autism Awareness?
Autism Awareness and Autism Acceptance
April is Autism Awareness Month, begun over 25 years ago by the
Autism Society of America, a leading grassroots autism organization,
existing to improve the lives of all affected by autism.
www.autism-society.org
In the late
90’s Portia Iverson and John Shestack started Cure Autism Now and made a
pledge to use their talents and influence in the entertainment industry
to make autism a household word. They did. Cure Autism Now later merged
into Autism Speaks www.autismspeaks.org in 2005, which is now one of
the largest autism organizations in the world, focusing on science and
advocacy.
In 2008,
Jacqueline Aidenbaum and Juan Carlos Brandt, high ranking employees at
the United Nations and parents of a three-year-old son with autism,
spearheaded World Autism Awareness Day. With the sponsorship of the
State of Qatar, and the support from Bob and Suzanne Wright founders of
Autism Speaks , April 2nd was approved by the General Assembly and is
now internationally recognized, encouraging Member States of the United
Nations to take measures to raise awareness about children and adults
with autism throughout the world.
.https://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/%5Btitle-raw%5D-244.
Now hundreds of cities across the globe light their landmarks “Up Blue” on April 2nd to show solidarity of autism awareness.
The journey continued:
In 2011, Paula C. Durbin Westby began Autism Acceptance Month http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/about/, which has expanded to become “a way of viewing Autism in a positive and accepting way.”
In 2011, Paula C. Durbin Westby began Autism Acceptance Month http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/about/, which has expanded to become “a way of viewing Autism in a positive and accepting way.”
This year, even
Apple is getting into the act with a beautiful video of Dillan
Barmache, who uses his iPad to communicate his deep thoughts and
brilliance.
http://themighty.com/2016/04/apple-short-film-dillans-voice-shares-how-autistic-teen-dillan-barmache-uses-technology-to-speak/
Awareness and
Acceptance has led to better early identification and intervention,
research, funding, and more accommodations for people with autism and
their families.
April has been successful in bringing autism ‘out of the closet.’
But what
happens after 11:59p.m. April 30th and the clock strikes twelve? What
happens when the Sydney Opera House is no longer lit up blue; when
bright blue t-shirts have faded; when the media has become “autismed
out” and the new autism books are no longer number 1 on Amazon.
What happens May 1st?
Autism Appreciation
As my friend,
Dr. Stephen Shore, an adult with autism, international speaker, and
Professor at Adelphi University, enlightened me years ago, we need to
move away from awareness and just accepting autism towards: Appreciation.
We need to appreciate individuals on the autism spectrum every day, throughout the year. How do we open our eyes to and support the gifts, talents, and abilities of people with autism?
We all have strengths and weaknesses
In my book,
Seven Keys to Unlock Autism,
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Keys-Unlock-Autism-Classroom/dp/0470644095,
I suggest that we must first accept our own challenges and acknowledge
that we all have ‘special needs’ depending on what environment we are
in. We all require different supports in different environments. For me,
technology sends me into a funk of confusion and paralysis - I need
tremendous support; but when I converse with others on the topics of
creativity, philosophy and spirituality, I am in a state of flow and
joy. When my son, with severe autism, is in a crowded classroom under
fluorescent lighting, he may run around the room hands over his ears,
too distracted and dys-regulated to focus. When in the Santa Monica
Mountains, he can lead his classmates, effortlessly, on every trail. An
outsider watching my son in his classroom would deem him low
functioning. In the outdoors, he would be called the leader.
I beg that we all stop using the terms ‘high functioning; low functioning” - insisting as Dr. Barry Prizant, author of Uniquely Human,
states, “We all have areas of strengths and weaknesses that create our
individual profiles. Children with autism just have more pronounced
strengths and weaknesses.” http://barryprizant.com/uniquely-human
Appreciation
means acknowledging and celebrating the strengths and abilities we are
all given. My son now works on an organic garden; I teach and coach
others in my creative methodologies. If people only looked at my son or
I as our deficits, we would feel anxious, alone, disconnected. When
appreciated for our assets and gifts, we become active contributors to
our society.
By focusing on
the strengths of every individual, we have an opportunity to bring out
and appreciate the gifts in all. My work with The Miracle Project
www.themiracleproject.org has led me to witness transformations when my
students are surrounded by love, acceptance and appreciation. A
non-verbal student types lyrics to our songs. A student, once too
frightened to even walk into a room of her peers, now performs Opera in
front of thousands. Families develop deep friendships as they see their
children blossom and connect to others.
We need to
listen to and appreciate the messages that those with autism bring.
The world really is too loud, too frenetic, disjointed, overwhelming.
People with autism recoil from this while “Normies” try to cope and make
sense of a ‘toxic’ world.
We need to
embrace and appreciate the many gifts, talents of those on the spectrum
and to help guide them to meaningful employment and lives. We also need
to appreciate the challenges that they and their families experience in a
society of disapproving looks and judgments.
To answer this
call, my friend Jess Block Nerren, a media specialist and parent to a
child with autism who is in remission from cancer, and I have joined
forces to create a video which goes deeper to appreciate those on the
spectrum. This new video is a quick-hitting segment showing the
positive impacts that people with autism have had on those with and with
out autism.
https://www.facebook.com/Autism-Appreciation-1756915301209242/?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/Autism-Appreciation-1756915301209242/?fref=ts
We hope to receive videos from others and get this movement going. Asking....
How do you appreciate?
In Joy and Gratitude,
Elaine Hall
Elaine Hall
