Autism Awareness

Photo ESPN.com and Getty Images

April is autism awareness month, and I can think of only a few causes that have caught on as quickly as the color blue and the blue puzzle pieces representing Autism Speaks, an international organization of advocacy and research for the disease.  The Empire State building turned “blue” last week in honor of the month, and the symbolic blue puzzle pieces can be seen everywhere from Jim Calhoun’s lapel (University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach) to the thousands of advocates participating in one of 70 autism walks in the U.S. and Canada this year. 

According to their Web site, the organization formed in February 2005 by two caring grandparents of a child with autism with a common goal to fund research for causes, treatment, prevention and a cure for this disease that affects 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys in the U.S. alone.  While the information, education and advocacy are increasing, there are still plenty of answers needed as to why this disease has been spreading like wildfire among American children and elsewhere.

Parents who notice a change in their young children’s behavior and given the autism diagnosis are sometimes referred to the Early Intervention Program (EIP) at ARC Marion.  Children from birth to age three are taught through the use of a play-based curriculum that addresses specific needs of each child.   Those attending also receive speech, physical and/or occupational therapies as needed.  Through the therapies, interaction with other children, and supervision by excellent teachers and aides, many of the children attending the program during the early developmental ages are helped to the point that they are mainstreamed into public school classrooms without the need for special education as they age.  Some are even retested to see if they were originally misdiagnosed due to the progress they achieve at EIP.  (see this month’s Family Times magazine article to see more about autism locally)

However, EIP only reaches 100 children a year in our community with over 42,000 school-aged children, and EIP is the only program of its kind in Marion County.  Granted, making a difference in those children’s lives, even if only just a few, has impacted the greater good for sure, but as more and more children are diagnosed, the need for specialized education for these unique children will only increase.  That’s why educating the public and working toward inclusion are so vitally important.  With more and more children receiving the diagnosis, even more people in communities everywhere will have to realize just what that means for society and for the education of these special children. 

Most important is the advocacy needed for parents, children and the cause as a whole.  Not turning a blind eye to this rising epidemic is just the start.  Becoming an educated citizen is the next step.  Contributing to the cause, whether at home or abroad, can help, too.  Locally, the EIP at ARC Marion is a good place to start.  Won’t you consider becoming an advocate for special people, namely special little children with autism, today?  As their mission reads…Autism Speaks.  It’s time to listen.