This is the 48th anniversary of the first Autism Month and in that time awareness has indeed exploded in concert with the incidence of the condition. Yet there is much work to be done before communities and policy makers have a firm grasp of the abilities, challenges and needs of autistic individuals. While the Covid-19 pandemic is a sudden global health issue today, autism is a daily global health issue that has been growing for decades and will continue into the future.
To recognize Autism Awareness Month while maintaining a safe distance from others will require individual initiative and creativity this year. Here are just a few suggestions for actions you can take to promote understanding of autism and autistic individuals.
1. Find Events That Have Been Moved Online
Not all events have been cancelled. For example, the South Austin Support Group in Texas has been moved to Google Hangouts, where parents and caregivers can find a supportive community to discuss issues they face. A similar group in El Paso has been moved to Zoom, where participants can see and talk to each other in real time.
2. Share Best Practices with Others
You likely know people in your community who struggle with the issues around autism, whether they are autistic adults, parents of children with autism, caregivers or others. Take this time to reach out to one or more of your neighbors to lend support and trade tips you have discovered.
3. Celebrate Your Child’s Accomplishments
With all the stressors that Covid-19 brings, it is easy for parents to become despondent about their children’s progress. More than ever, this is a time to appreciate whatever strides your children have achieved. Take a little time each day to congratulate yourself and celebrate your child for the progress they have made.
4. Educate Your Co-Workers About Autism
You may be reticent about sharing your personal issues with co-workers, but Autism Awareness Month provides an opportunity to make an exception. And while you may not be working alongside your co-workers these days, you’re probably still communicating with them extensively. Discussion of the effect of distancing, school closures, and changes in routines on home life is the perfect entrée to a short education of the challenges and triumphs of having a child with autism.
5. Join a Webinar
Catch up with the April 4 webinar Autistic Explosion with Dr. James Coplan, who employs 3D modeling to illustrate the scope and types of autism. It has been recorded and is available online.
6. Support an Autism-Friendly Business
Families for Effective Autism Treatment in Louisville has created a registry of autism-friendly businesses in their area. Verywell Health, an online resource for medical information, has compiled a list of autism-friendly national businesses that includes companies whose products and services you could be purchasing now, like Microsoft, Home Depot, Walgreens, Ford and Smile Biscotti. These companies are intentional about hiring and training autistic individuals.
7. Lobby Your Legislators for Changes During the Covid-19 Crisis
Writing for Spectrum News, disability rights activist Ari Ne’eman has identified several legal constraints on caregiving to people with disabilities, including autism. He encourages others to lobby for removing caps on worker overtime, permitting family members to serve as support workers, preventing “temporary” institutional placements and ensuring continued oversight of group homes and other institutions for the disabled. Read the entire article here.
8. Focus on Your Child
The best advocacy any parent can do is with their own child. Advocacy takes place with your child’s teachers, in your neighborhood, on the playground, at the City Council, or anywhere others need to be educated about autism and persuaded to treat autistic children appropriately.
9. Make Every Month Autism Awareness Month
With two percent of children born today on the spectrum, ignorance and misunderstanding of the issues affecting autistic individuals will have significant and long-term ramifications for our nation. Let’s work to improve awareness and insight year-round.