ENLIGHTEN it up Blue!
As many of you know April is Autism Awareness month. I'd like to take a few minutes to focus on the "awareness" component . People fear what they don't understand and in my experience fear leads to misjudgment, lack of acceptance, and avoidance. I think the burden lies within all of us who understand autism to share some of our knowledge, especially during the month of April.
There are ways to start some interesting conversations about this topic. For example, we can ask our children if they think they know any people in the community who might have Autism. If so, ask them why they think that. Be sure to correct any misinformation they might have about how people with ASD might "look" or behave. We can also make a point to share wonderful success stories about people on the spectrum. If you know someone with Autism, then you know someone who possesses strength and tenacity! Brag about their achievements and spread the word about how wonderful these individuals are. Finally, we can talk with someone with Autism and help them see how their unique brain offers them a wonderful view of the world that many of us miss out on.
Here is one of my most favorite videos explaining Autism. Like most things online, I don't agree with everything the narrator discusses, but overall I think it's a really great animated explanation of the autism brain. Enjoy and Enlighten it up Blue!