Autism Speaks’ Post

🌐 Celebrating World Autism Acceptance Day 2024 🌟 Today, as we observe World Autism Acceptance Day, let's embrace the message from President Biden's recent proclamation. This day underscores the importance of understanding, respect, and equality for individuals on the autism spectrum. It's a reminder of the diverse talents and potentials within the autistic community and the ongoing efforts to overcome disparities in healthcare, education, and employment. The administration's commitment to early diagnosis, inclusive education, and improved healthcare access shines a light on the path towards a more inclusive society. This proclamation not only reinforces our national values of fairness and respect but also encourages us to learn from the experiences of autistic individuals. Let's join hands in building more welcoming communities and pushing for greater opportunities and support for people with autism. Today is a day to recommit to making America's promise a reality for everyone on the autism spectrum. #AutismAcceptance #Inclusion #Diversity #Community

Should We Be Celebrating World Autism Day?   This may sound like a silly question, but it isn’t really. Celebrating a ‘day’ can serve as a good reminder, but it becomes problematic if that is all we do. It is unfortunate that even today, organisations look at employing people on the autism spectrum from the lens of “what Dustin Hoffman ‘Rain Man’ skills will this person bring to my team?” That is an awfully myopic view, which helps no one. This can set the wrong expectations on both sides of the equation and may put the new team member under undue stress. Worse yet, some organisations and institutions simply find ‘creative’ reasons to avoid this altogether. Fairly unacceptable in our book. Andreas Heckmann from SAP summed it up nicely in his still-relevant post. He argues that ‘special skills’ or merely ‘doing the right thing’ are not really the reasons why we need more colleagues on the spectrum in our workforce, our schools, or universities. Instead, it is what having them does to an organisation. By having a neuro-diverse team, we become better communicators, more empathetic, more supportive, more collaborative, less vague, and less cynical at work. We create a better, more wholesome work environment. That is the type of celebration we like. Getting someone on the spectrum onboard requires a systemic change involving all organisational processes — not just aimed at the person but at the entire organisation. It is an ongoing effort that will pay for itself many, many, many times over — year after year after year. Ready to get the party started? Some good resources here: Autism New Zealand And here: https://lnkd.in/d5QBFv4 Autism Speaks   #WorldAutismDay #Autism #AutismintheWorkforce #Diversity #Inclusion #NeuroDiversity   Photo Courtesy: UN

On April 1, President Joe Biden issued a Proclamation on World Autism Acceptance Day, 2024. The proclamation states, "...NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2024, as World Autism Acceptance Day. I call upon all Americans to learn more about autism to improve early diagnosis, to learn more about the experiences of autistic people from autistic people, and to build more welcoming and inclusive communities to support people with autism." Read the full proclamation: https://lnkd.in/en63Wnen. #AutismAcceptanceMonth #Inclusion #WorldAutismAcceptance

President Biden and The White House issued a Presidential Proclamation for World Autism Acceptance Day a few days ago that was important and truly lovely. With thanks to the Executive Office of the President, here's an excerpt: America was founded on the idea that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives. Today, we champion the equal rights and dignity of the millions of Americans on the autism spectrum, and we celebrate the immense contributions of all neurodiverse people, whose perspectives and experiences make America a richer Nation. Some 5.4 million American adults and 1 in 36 children have been diagnosed with autism. Their experiences with the condition vary widely, but their talents and potential are too often misunderstood or overlooked. Autistic people routinely face unnecessary obstacles to securing employment and health care and children face bullying and barriers to education. We can work to end these disparities and ensure they have an equal opportunity to reach their dreams by making sure that people with autism and those who support them have the resources and tools they need to communicate, grow, work, and achieve greater independence. ... NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2024, as World Autism Acceptance Day. I call upon all Americans to learn more about autism to improve early diagnosis, to learn more about the experiences of autistic people from autistic people, and to build more welcoming and inclusive communities to support people with autism. #whitehouse #presidentbiden #autismacceptance #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptancemonth #autismawarenessmonth https://lnkd.in/e-VWZFDt

PBS Kids is developing a new series that focuses on characters with autism. It's amazing to see inclusive programming that promotes understanding and acceptance. 🙌 Check out the article for more details: https://lnkd.in/g9SjnPgn #InclusiveTV #AutismAwareness #inclusive #inclusivity #IDD #autism

Stolen Voices: Facilitated Communication Devalues Autism. Autistic people using AAC have a right to message authorship protections. https://buff.ly/3sv0LId #AAC #communicationdevice #autism #disability #disabilityrights

South Australia is implementing the state's first Autism Strategy 2024–2029: a strategy which aims to support a whole-of-government approach to create a fairer and more inclusive society. Access 2 Place Housing

People with development disabilities, like Autism, are seven times more likely to encounter police than neurotypical people.* Reading this makes me sad not only as a person but as a mother to a child with Autism. A mother this evening was slapped by her child (11 or 12 years of age and just as tall as the mother). It was clear to me the child has a disability. But, police were called by spectators. The mother was embarrassed by the interaction with her child and she repeatedly stated she was fine and was just quickly trying to get them both home safely. I polled a special needs parenting group that I am in, as this whole altercation has been unsettling for me to digest. I was told that I, as a special needs parent, I need to equip myself with all the necessary documents showcasing my sons Autism diagnosis in the event police are ever called on us in public. Additionally, I was told I need to introduce my child to police officials and make them aware of his diagnosis so they are informed for any possible future interactions. This makes me sad. I ask of you all to please educate yourself on how to deal with these situations should you ever encounter them, and I hope you don't. But, if you do, I hope that you can provide understanding and a means for those in the situation to feel comfortable and not judged. I hope you are able to help be their voice when it can be so difficult for them to find theirs during this experience. I now need to equip myself with proof of my sons diagnosis, to educate officials in my community, to have advocates on speed dial to help explain my sons condition should this ever happen to me. This makes me sad, BUT, I will continue to advocate, educate and provide a supportive, loving and understanding environment for my son and others. #autismawareness #autismmom *Reference The Marshall Project

Over 5.4 million adults in the U.S. are on the autism spectrum, but autism is still heavily misunderstood and stigmatized. The autism rights movement is focused on changing that by giving people with autism a platform to share their own perspectives, improving #representation and #inclusion in the process. Today, we’re sharing an original article exploring the core values and mission of the autism rights movement. You can read it here:   https://bit.ly/3EXLaDW #HireDifferent  #AutismRights #Neurodiversity #SelfAdvocacy #disability #disabilityawareness #disabilityrights #disabilitypride  #disabilitysupport #disabilityisnotinability #disabilityawarenessmonth #disabilityadvocate #Disabilityservices #disabilityemployment #disabilitycommunity   

Waiting lists for autism assessments are four times longer than they should be, with parents being told their child will have to wait up to two-and-a-half years for an assessment! “For autistic kids, early intervention is key", says People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Mick Barry. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/emQG3K3c If you're an educator, parent, or practitioner looking to equip yourself with evidence-based strategies to address the diverse needs of children and young people with autism, from preschool through to further education, we're currently enrolling candidates in our specialised CPD courses in Understanding Autism, Applied Behaviour Analysis, and more! Learn more about our CPD offerings in special educational needs here: https://icepe.eu/cpd/ #autism #autismawareness #autismassessment #understandingautism #ABA