This is what that means…
If you see things lit up in blue, or people wearing blue today, it’s not a coincidence. April 2nd, 2019 marks the 12th annual World Autism Day!
Best said by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,
“On World Autism Awareness Day, we speak out against discrimination, celebrate the diversity of our global community and strengthen our commitment to the full inclusion and participation of people with autism. Supporting them to achieve their full potential is a vital part of our efforts to uphold the core promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: to leave no one behind.”
Growing up, I didn’t know much about Autism, or so I thought…
When my sister was a teenager, we discovered she has what was formerly known as Asperger syndrome, and is now considered, Autism Spectrum Disorder. If you’re unfamiliar, people with Autism Spectrum Disorder have a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. Best described, there is no one type of Autism, there are many.
While i’m still learning about Autism, what I can say about my sister is that she is one of the most impressive people I know! She taught HERSELF two languages; Japanese and Korean! (For some perspective… I took 5 years of Spanish in school, and can barely form a sentence…) A little over a year ago, she moved to Korea, by herself, to teach English and is FLOURISHING!
Who do you know and love with Autism?
To learn more about Autism, and how you can help support people with Autism during April, National Autism Awareness Month, CLICK HERE