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The Importance of Autism Acceptance Month

We hope you had a great Autism Acceptance Month!

This is a month that is close to our hearts as speech language pathologists as we serve many clients who are autistic. While April used to be considered autism awareness month, there has been a recent shift to focus on autism acceptance month in order to promote not only knowledge of autism, but also a neurodiversity-affirming mindset. Here are some ways we like to participate in autism acceptance month, and celebrate inclusivity all year!

  • Learning more about autism and the various ways it can present. While autism used to be represented as a spectrum moving from “less” autism to “more” autism, more recently it has been depicted as a wheel chart where each autistic individual may have differing characteristics but don’t have “more” or “less” autism than others. One individual may have higher sensory needs, but lower language needs, while another may need increased support with emotional regulation but need less support with language.
  • Learn more about and honor sensory differences. While this is not specific to autism, sensory differences are a key component of autism. Knowing what types of sensory input a child is seeking or avoiding can significantly help with overall regulation, connection with others and the world around them, and can even impact language development.
  • Read books featuring autistic characters.
    • The Hero Next Door
    • Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen
    • The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family
    • Benji, The Bad Day, and Me
    • Too Sticky!: Sensory Issues with Autism
    • Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween
  • Discuss neurodiversity with children, and help them know how to engage with other children who may play or speak differently than they do! Here is a video that could be used to discuss autism and neurodiversity with children. It shows how there are many types of brains, just like there are different types of bears.

References:

Autism spectrum wheel explained – Apricott Aba. RSS. (n.d.). 

“Partnership for Extraordinary Minds.” Partnership for Extraordinary Minds – Autistic Authors. (Accessed 2 May 2024)

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