Are you aware that in April we celebrate National Autism Acceptance Month? Sadly, in the past decade, the prevalence of autism has more than doubled among children in the United States, from 1 in 125 children receiving a diagnosis in 2010 to 1 in 59 children receiving a diagnosis in 2020, according to the Autism Society. The mission of the Autism Society during National Autism Acceptance Month is to increase the understanding of autism and encourage people throughout the United States to reach out to loved ones with autism, participate with them, and create more opportunities for them.
In the past, the Autism Society celebrated Autism Awareness Month, but now, it is celebrated nationally and is known as National Autism Acceptance Month. The reason for the shift is based not just in words, but in the idea of what it means to truly accept people with different abilities in our society, rather than just acknowledge that they are here. Everyone needs to be made aware that people with autism often face difficulty, starting when they are children, when many public schools struggle to provide the appropriate support services necessary to both integrate autistic children in regular classrooms and provide extra, separate help. These same issues may continue into adulthood, when autistic people may have greater challenges in finding gainful employment, accessible housing, or affordable health care. By accepting autism everyone can participate in helping to change these structural issues and make the world a more welcoming place for autistic children and adults alike.
There are many ways to be active during National Autism Acceptance Month. You should reach out to the Autism Society so they can provide ideas for how you can help. The Autism Society provides assistance by creating educational programming for schoolchildren to learn more about autism. Since many autism efforts already focus on school-aged children, learning more about opportunities for higher education and employment for autistic adults and finding ways to create these opportunities in your community is a great way to get involved.
We know you may have questions about this, and many other, issues. At the Perlin Estate Planning & Probate our credentials enable us to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to our legal services. By building relationships with our clients, we are also able to understand each client’s needs and desires, and we support such goals through thoughtful, comprehensive planning techniques. We encourage you to contact us and schedule a meeting.