From my perspective as a professional specializing in autism, Autism Awareness Monthin April provides a chance to focus on understanding autism across the lifespan and bring together self-advocates, families, and communities to celebrate and support one another in many ways. I encourage others to learn more about terms related to autism, especially those highlighted by the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Q: What does Autism Awareness Month mean to you, and why is it important?Ī: In recent years, the focus on autism has evolved from “awareness” to “acceptance”. Some combinations of autism symptoms create challenges and limitations and have a tremendous impact on daily life, while others are enough to qualify for an autism diagnosis but don’t affect daily life as much and are less noticeable to others. There isn’t any one symptom that stands alone in the autism diagnosis, and an autistic person could exhibit skills and symptoms across the “spectrum”. Given the range of behaviors that may factor in to the diagnostic criteria for autism, there are numerous ways that autism can present differently from person to person, and these features and behaviors can change throughout life. Q: What are some misconceptions about autism?Ī: One of the biggest misconceptions is that autism looks the same in everyone. being overly sensitive and under-responsive) hand/arm flapping or repetitive whole-body movements) opening and closing doors repeatedly or spinning the wheels of a toy car rather than rolling it around)
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