April 2 - World Autism Awareness Day

April 2^nd is World Autism Awareness Day and April is World Autism Month, a month to recognize and bring awareness about the experiences, strengths, and differences of people who are on the autism spectrum, their families, caregivers, and communities.

About Autism:

Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a group of conditions related to brain development that impact how people perceive, learn about, socialize, and communicate with the world around them. Approximately 135,000 Ontarian's are on the autism spectrum (Prevalence Rates | Autism Ontario). Autism crosses all cultural, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups, however, experiences with ASD are diverse.

"If you've met one person who has autism, you've met one person with autism" - Stephen Shore

Because autism exists on a spectrum, the degree to which people experience symptoms and the amount of support needed varies widely. Every person with autism has different experiences, strengths, and challenges. These are also influenced by whether people have co-occurring health conditions, the accessibility and relative safety of the environment people are in, and whether people have access to appropriate supports.

Some people prefer to use the term neurodiversity to describe and normalize the wide range of ways our brain’s function and the diverse ways that people think, process information, learn, and function in day-to-day life. Considering neurodivergence or recognizing that many people are not ‘neurotypical’ helps us to think about how our communities and workplaces can include, support, and provide equitable opportunities for people on the autism spectrum to participate, be engaged, and thrive.

During World Autism month, we recognize our community members who are, or who care for people, on the autism spectrum. We encourage community members to learn more about autism and how to support a welcoming and inclusive Municipality of Chatham-Kent that honours our neurodiversity.

Resources

Autism Ontario

• West Region Chapter
• Celebrate the Spectrum
• Autism Career Connection (education about how to design inclusive work environments)

Please reach out if you have any feedback, comments, questions, or concerns.