World Autism Awareness Day

-- By Nikki Sasso Mitchell, EDID Coordinator

On April 2, 2007, the United Nations began observing World Autism Awareness Day as a way to promote and affirm the rights and freedoms of autistic people on an equal basis with others. Advocates of autism and autistic people have been striving for change, but there is still much work that needs to be done. There are many stereotypes and misunderstandings about autistic people. For example, people who are autistic cannot speak, cannot live independently, are not smart enough to do the same school work as their peers, don't understand you when you're speaking about them, etc. The list goes on. The truth is, that autism is a wide spectrum, and the lived experiences of folks living with autism will be different depending on the person. 

My son is eight years old and was diagnosed with autism when he was four. I never believed he had autism because of what I thought to be true about it. I didn't think autistic children made eye contact with their parents or loved ones, played with toys, spoke at all, or understood simple instructions. Aiden did all of these things. Aiden was diagnosed mostly because of his speech delay, but also because he was into repetitive play, was interested in light switches and pipes and how they functioned, and found change to be difficult. These are the indicators of autism, but to me, he was just being Aiden. Was it that odd that he wanted to know where the water in a pipe went? I thank the Story Bots for giving us an entire episode of where waste goes once it's flushed down the toilet. We must have watched that episode at least 100 times. But I never thought this was autism. To me, it was just a curious boy. Aren't all boys curious?

Being told that your child has a speech delay because of autism was hard. I didn't realize at the time how many doors it would open for Aiden. At the time I was only thinking about all of the doors that were about to close for him. Being put into a box. A label. He would never be seen as an equal. And I really didn't want that future for my firstborn. My little one. I think that many parents want so much for their children. They are perfect little beings. It's so important that we try to do as much as we can for our children with disabilities, and that includes accepting information even when it is difficult and moving forward. Getting that diagnosis was such a blessing. Because now we had the means to finally get Aiden the help he needed. He was assigned an Educational Assistant (EA) at school. And boy. The difference in this child. He went from barely speaking in full sentences to telling us his opinions. Telling us stories. Telling us no. No! I've never been so happy to hear my child tell me "no" about not wanting to eat his chicken. I remember there was a time when I just wanted to know what he was thinking and feeling. And now he grabs my hand and stands right in front of me to get my attention when he is about to tell me something. I know he's excited about Inside Out 2 coming out right before his birthday. I know he loves watching YouTube videos of people playing Minecraft. I know that he loves me. And I know when he's had a hard day at school.

Aiden's story may not be typical of every story on autism. So I don't want to imply this journey will be the same with all caretakers and children with autism. As I mentioned before, the spectrum is called a spectrum for a reason. So it's important to not treat each person you encounter with autism the same. Get to know them. Ask them what they like and don't like. I've come to learn so much, and the spectrum truly is a beautiful thing.

My fear for Aiden is when he grows up. I want nothing more than for him to find a full-time job and be independent. There are significant challenges for autistic people to find and maintain employment. According to the National Autistic Society, only 16% of autistic adults are in full-time employment, while 32% are in some kind of paid work. Autistic people do have a lot to offer companies. My hope is that businesses create more inclusive workspaces and provide meaningful work for people with autism.

World Autism Awareness Day is a great way to show your support and bring awareness. Wear blue on April 2 and remember to always be kind. 

References

United Nations. World Autism Awareness Day. https://www.un.org/en/observances/autism-day

Worldwide percentage of Autistic people working? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/worldwide-percentage-autistic-people-working-edson-j-montanhini/