National Autism Awareness Day
National Autism Awareness Day is observed annually on April 2. The event calls attention to autism spectrum disorders, or ASD, which are a group of lifelong developmental disabilities that have been diagnosed in childhood or adulthood.
National Autism Awareness Day was founded in 2007 to support those with autism, help raise awareness, and educate people about autism spectrum disorder. Organizations around the country provide information about autism spectrum disorders as well as local resources for individuals living with ASD and their families.
Autism is a complex, multi-faceted developmental disability that affects the way people interact, communicate and think. And it's different for every individual. In some areas of the spectrum, autism is characterized by repetitive behaviors whereas another type of ASD may cause an intense interest in a single subject–or a person could have both of these. No one person is the same.
Autism Diagnosis
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 54 children in the US are diagnosed with autism. Boys are 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. The Autism Society of America estimates that 1 out of every 88 boys will have autism compared to 1 in 252 girls. These are only estimates because autism can be difficult to diagnose. This is due to the large scale of symptoms that show up differently from one person to the next. Autism is also often found to co-exist with other intellectual developmental disabilities, which in some cases can make it even harder to detect.
An individual with autism may have heightened senses. One fairly common trait of ASD, for instance, is sensory sensitivities–particularly to noise and touch. Many people on the spectrum may have a hard time with transitions, including going from one activity to another. Some individuals may be very sensitive to light or sound and find it difficult to concentrate when they are in an environment that is loud or bright. Some individuals have a hard time with different food textures, and may only truly enjoy eating a select few favorite items.
Supporting Individuals with Autism
Autism spectrum disorder is a condition that affects many parts of an individual's life. As a result, people with ASD may struggle to interact socially and may have trouble communicating effectively with others. For this reason, some people on the autism spectrum may have trouble forming friendships. They may also need more support than others in order to succeed in school, work or other activities.
Resources for Individuals with ASD
There are several resources available to people on the spectrum and their families in order to assist with daily living, growth, finances, and independence. Government bodies, local and national organisations, school, and care centers can provide additional information about programs, therapies and other services that can help support children with autism and their families.
A nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, Autism Empowerment promotes and advocates for the needs of Autistic and Autism communities through the education and empowerment of youth, adults and their families. Autism Empowerment promotes a culture in which every one is valued for their different strengths and talents.
Autism Empowerment offers acceptance, enrichment, and inspiration for individuals with ASD, wherever they are on their journey. Autism Empowerment is managed by individuals with autism. They also publish Spectrum Life Magazine and produce the Autism Empowerment Podcast.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
The ASHA organization serves as a national professional, scientific, and credentialing group for audiologists, speech-language pathologists, speech, language, and hearing scientists, students, and audiology support staff. There is a lot of information on the ASHA website about autism spectrum disorder. Additionally, you can find information specific to speech-language pathologists concerning autism spectrum disorders.
Life Journey Through Autism Series, Organization for Autism Research (OAR)
The OAR publishes information and provides resources to assist families, educators, and clinical professionals. OAR has published five Life Journey guidebooks to help those with ASD.
An online community for parents of children with autism. The site has more than 30,000 members who can find their matches. You can even search the network by city, town, state, country as well as your child's age, sub-diagnosis and gender. As well as providing each other with support and showing photos, parents also ask and answer each other's questions. You can also find over 35,000 providers listed in our searchable provider directory.
National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders
NPDC provides free professional resources for those who work with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) including but not limited to teachers, therapists, and technical assistance providers. These resources provide practical advice about how to plan, implement, and evaluate specific evidence-based practices.
The National Autism Association makes its Big Red Safety Kits to help teachers and caregivers help with the safety of those with ASD who sometimes wander away from groups or who may not recognize dangers. The wandering, fleeing, running, and elopement patterns that can occur within the ASD community present unique safety risks, but also create an incredible amount of worry amongst caregivers.
Communication devices are available through Give A Voice from the National Autism Association for those individuals with autism who are non-verbal or minimally vocal.
Training and educational materials provided by the Autism ATRIUM initiative include webinars, toolkits, one-sheeters, and other educational materials at no cost.
Conclusion
Those are just a few of the great programs dedicated to helping people with ASD to develop the ability to live more independently while engaging in social interaction within their communities as well as improving self-esteem and executive function.
About Stephen’s Place
Stephen’s Place is an independent apartment community for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, located in Vancouver, WA (7 minutes from Portland, OR).
If you have a loved one with developmental or intellectual disabilities who is looking for a community to live in, please contact us for more information.
Stephen’s Place is a private-pay apartment community due to our state-of-the-art amenities and programs. We are a nonprofit and do not profit from our community. We are private pay because we spend more than some housing communities to ensure that our residents are comfortable and can safely live their lives with independence and dignity.
