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National Autism Awareness Month

The Autism Society of America, the nation’s oldest leading grassroots autism organization, is celebrating National Autism Awareness Month in April 2020 with its new “Celebrate Differences” campaign. Designed to build a better awareness of the signs, symptoms, and realities of autism, #CelebrateDifferences focuses on providing information and resources for communities to be more aware of autism, promote acceptance, and be more inclusive in everyday life.

Efforts like this began in 1972 when Autism Society launched the first annual National Autistic Children’s week, which eventually evolved into National Autism Awareness Month (NAAM).
The prevalence of diagnosed autism in the United States has risen dramatically in recent years. Ten years ago, one in one-hundred-twenty-five children were diagnosed with autism. Now it is one in fifty-nine. Based on these worsening statistics, the goal for NAAM is to further increase awareness about autism signs, symptoms and opportunities.

The Autism Society has a variety of resources designed to inform and encourage communities to celebrate differences and become more inclusive of individuals with autism. Resources are available on social media for sharing as well as on www.autismawarenessmonth.org for download.

Here in Ventura County, many autism programs are moving online due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “Our mission is to improve the lives of everyone impacted by autism, and ironically, that will happen more this year than ever due to COVID-19”, commented Carly Fulgham, president of the Autism Society of Ventura County. “Many people with autism are isolated due to social and communication differences. To them, social distancing is the norm, yet they still have a desire to connect.”

Local resources for autism include churches in our area (Calvary Community Church, The Bridge, and Emmanuel Presbyterian Church) who offer free respite care through the Nathaniel’s Hope organization. Channel Islands Social Services is an organization in our area that also provides respite care. And the non-profit organization, A Voice Discovered, offers hope and solutions for those who are nonverbal.

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