Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
World Autism Day
Every year, April 2 is designated as World Autism Day. The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder has been growing with each year. We may not know a lot of people with autism yet, or maybe they haven’t shared that detail openly for fear of lack of acceptance.
Along with World Autism Day, many organizations use this observance as a catalyst to recognize April as autism month, and to spend the month on increased focus on improving understanding, awareness, and acceptance. Much like many organizations have an increased focus on mental health (like Step Up For Mental Health!). Mental health has gotten a lot of attention in the past year. People realized how detrimental many aspects of their daily lives are to their mental health. We started thinking about it and talking about it more and normalizing it as a part of workplaces as well.
Mental Health and Autism Acceptance
Mental health has come a long way, and still has a long way to go. In the same vein, April is an important month for anyone diagnosed with autism and the people in their lives. But, autism shouldn’t be forgotten after all the colorful puzzle ribbons are shared on social media in April.
As more and more children and adults are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), creating awareness around ASD is important. Acceptance along with action is also critical. Actions that support inclusion for people with autism—or autistic people, whichever is preferred)—is tantamount to also supporting mental health. It’s all connected, and we are all connected people. It doesn’t only apply to mental health, and it doesn’t only apply to ASD.
According to a study by U.S. and Canadian researchers, the majority of children with ASD have at least one mental health condition. The study looked at survey data collected from 42,000 caregivers of children and found that 78% of children with ASD had at least one mental health condition. The most common mental health conditions: behavior problems and anxiety. Mental health conditions became more prevalent as children with ASD aged. Schools, communities, families, support systems can all help with behavior problems and anxiety.
There’s something about autism that is increasing the mental health burden—for anxiety, for depression, for behavior problems, and for attention problems. This is a special population that needs special attention.
Inclusion for People with Autism and Its Impact
As autistic children grow up and become adults, the inclusion they felt (or lack thereof) during childhood has an impact on them. How to be inclusive is very important to the health and well-being of an autistic person.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anyone who is autistic. You might suspect that someone is, but it’s just not talked about. All that matters is that people start to be more understanding— leading to more and more acceptance, which will only help the autistic community as a whole. If you don’t know what to do, maybe start by supporting businesses that actually make a difference. Recommend them and spread the word. It might seem like an indirect way to make a difference, but if enough people do it, it has a major impact.
When it comes to children, if you see a kid melting down at the grocery store or on a plane, remember that it’s possible the kid is autistic and is not just being difficult. Don’t give the parents a hard time, or complain, or stare, or roll your eyes. Do you have any idea what a hard time that child might be having? Or how the parents are panicking and not sure what to do? Ask if there’s anything you can do to help.
If you know the parents of a special needs child, don’t let them live in isolation. The child will grow up and carry that with them. Make a connection. Take some thoughtful action and make a difference in the mental health of others. It’s the action of reaching out, and of opening arms and hearts, that will positively impact people who are different from the majority so that they feel like they belong.
