Autism Awareness?

April 2nd is International Autism Awareness day, and April is Autism Awareness Month. It's something I haven't paid a lot of attention to in previous years and don't typically repost related items on the various social media sites I frequent. I suppose if I ponder why there's a sense of tokenism in it for me that just doesn't gel. I agree with many others that autism acceptance rather than awareness would be a step forward. And while that probably seems just a matter of semantics, I'd argue people are already 'aware' autism exists. Acceptance places greater emphasis of understanding on the community. To appreciate not just that autism exists but autistic people are active and positive contributors to our communities. Issues facing autistic people and those who love them are broad, varied and often the result of ignorance and lack of resource support. Anyway, this April I'll be posting topics intended to enhance greater understanding and acceptance of autism.

I did happen across the below article by Steve Silberman from 2012 which I think encapsulates much of how I feel, so I'll share that today instead of 'lighting it up blue'.

http://blogs.plos.org/neurotribes/2012/04/02/autism-awareness-is-not-enough-heres-how-to-change-the-world/