During Autism Acceptance Month, we’ve been paying special attention to inclusion.
Those considerations include sensory friendly egg hunts, playgrounds, even sports stadium seating areas. They include ear plugs offered in loud auditoriums, flexible seating options in school classrooms, and sensory inclusive experiences or kits at zoos, museums, movie theaters, and other attractions.
Gradually, everyday places are adding seamless features reflecting acceptance of (and consideration for) people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder, sensitivities, or various types of neurodivergence. We applaud this, while also recognizing the distance yet to travel.
A few years ago, advocates shifted the name of this recognition month from Autism Awareness Month to Autism Acceptance Month.
USA Today quoted Christopher Banks, CEO of The Autism Society of America, explaining the distinction: “Awareness is knowing that somebody has autism. Acceptance is when you include (a person with autism) in your activities.”
Helping this lesson land at home
My grandmother kept crystal prisms in the windows of her farmhouse kitchen. In the morning, when sunlight flooded the kitchen, tiny rainbows danced everywhere.
She once let me hold a prism — carefully — so I could see how the angles in the prism created the magic.
The varied angles through which we all view life likewise contribute to the magic.
At home this week, ask your children about how they’re different from their friends, family members, or others — and why they like that. Be creative — really think about it.
But wrap up your discussion by circling back to what connects us. As PBS’ Daniel Tiger sings: “In some ways we are different, but in so many ways, we are the same.”
Pariva Health has helped more than 25,000 families of neurodivergent children and
counting — find out more about the ways in which we empower families, offering hope and help, with lots of play and no wait list.