(WSIL) — April is Autism Acceptance Month, and April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day.
World Autism Awareness Day encourages awareness about autism and the roughly 4 million autistic individuals around the world.
Autism affects one in 54 children annually and occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
However, CDC reports found that Autism Spectrum Disorder is four times more common in boys than in girls.
The Autism Society of Southern Illinois’s President says that hearing about autism can be scary for some people.
“Autism is a scary word to some. It’s a scary word to parents, when you first hear your child might be diagnosed with autism, you’re not really sure what that means, right, because autism is such a spectrum disorder. So it can be a scary word. But our job is to help educate people on why it’s not as scary as it sounds,” said the Autism Society of Southern Illinois’s President, Stephanie Brown.
Brown also said that while there is no cure for autism, early diagnosis is key for treatment.
If you believe your child has autism, take them in for screening as soon as possible.
And on World Autism Awareness Day, the most important lesson the Autism Society of Southern Illinois has, if you have questions, ask.
The key to understanding people who have autism is education.
For more information about autism, visit the Autism Society of Southern Illinois’s website or the CDC about what autism is and who it affects.
