Each April, we turn our attention to Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month. When I first learned about autism, more than 20 years ago, it was a rare developmental disorder that most people had never heard of. Fast forward to today and we now know autism affects one in 36 children, and almost everyone I know knows someone with autism.
Raised awareness of autism has led to better screening in early childhood, better diagnostic tools and the development of resources and interventions to support people with autism and their families. Raised acceptance of autism has created more inclusive opportunities and a growing appreciation that differences are often strengths and should be celebrated.
Although there has been progress resulting from both raised awareness and raised acceptance, more work is needed in both areas. During this Autism Acceptance month, I encourage continued recognition that autism is experienced by individuals in a wide range of ways and people benefit from different resources at different times in their lives. Autism acceptance means we continue to seek the best care possible for those who need it, and we commit to improving our world to create communities that embrace neurodiversity in all settings.
My hope is that we can work together to ensure people have access to the resources they need, when they need them, and that our commitment to autism acceptance is not isolated to one month each year.