The Importance of Autism Awareness Month
April includes of many holidays and celebrations such as, April Fool’s Day, Easter, Earth Day, and Child Abuse Prevention Month. However, there is one that isn’t as well known and is often forgotten, but still as important, Autism Awareness Month.
Autism Awareness Month was established 56 years ago in April 1970. Its purpose is primarily to support all individuals who are on the Autism Spectrum. This purpose became so widespread that it also received its own special day, with April 2nd being known as Autism Day. These two celebrations are trying to promote the inclusion of autistic people, but why?
Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition that appears in early childhood and lasts with the person for the rest of their life. This condition affects how a person communicates, interacts, and experiences the world. Since it’s a spectrum, there are a lot of traits that certain autistic people can exhibit. Some traits are social challenges, repetitive behaviors, and intense interests in specific topics.
This is why including those who are on the spectrum is so important. Those who fall on the spectrum face many social challenges. They usually have difficulty reading people, whether it’s their body language or social cues like sarcasm. To make matters worse, most have a strong sense of social anxiety and avoid people.
Due to these challenges, some people treat autistic people harshly for something they can’t even control. They see them as people who are “too weird” for society, people who can’t even think for themselves. However, those beliefs are based on myths that aren’t true. Many people who are considered intelligent have autism. Elon Musk, Nikola Tesla, and even Albert Einstein, who is known as the smartest person ever, all had autism.
This is the main importance of this month. It can get rid of all the negativity surrounding autism. People can instead see autistic people for who they truly are, special people who deserve to be accepted and appreciated.
“I feel that Autism Awareness Month promotes a positive outlook on those who seem different from us, but are still human beings. It also helps us understand and support them while capturing their strengths and uniqueness. I feel that it helps create a sense of continued unity and inclusion within our community,” said sophomore Akish Dieudonne.
Since Autism Awareness Month is so important, it deserves to be supported and promoted. The whole purpose of the month is to advocate for the inclusion of autistic people, and this can only be done if multiple people spread awareness about autism.
“To celebrate Autism Awareness Month, we can post online on social media, support organizations that help autistic people, or wear certain clothing that supports it. For example, I know that wearing blue symbolizes autism,” said sophomore Justin Sturtz.
All in all, Autism Awareness Month is an important month that should last for generations to come. It allows many people who felt excluded to instead feel included. When everyone in a community can come together and be united, that community will become stronger as a result. That is the true importance of Autism Awareness Month.
