Autism Acceptance Month

The official observance of National Autism Awareness Month started in 1984 as toward increasing understanding about autism spectrum disorders. In 2021, many in the autistic community believed that there should be a shift from awareness to acceptance, requesting this call to action for change, therefore recognizing April as Autism Acceptance Month.

We, at Community Autism Resources, were happy to make this simple, yet powerful revision, for many reasons. We want the autistic community to know that we are listening, we hear you and we respect and appreciate your view and advocacy for change!

It’s difficult not to be “AWARE” when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released new data and statistics suggesting the prevalence rate for children being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder is now 1 in 36.

acceptance : noun : ac·​cep·​tance ik-ˈsep-tən(t)s

the act of accepting something or someone : the fact of being accepted : approval

Although the autistic community isn’t looking for society’s “approval”, to be autistic, what they are looking for is to be accepted for exactly who they are and to be heard.

Now that we are all “aware” that autism exists, the children diagnosed 20 & 30 years ago are now adults. They have things to say and as a society, we need to listen. We may respectfully agree to disagree on certain topics, it is OK to have a different view or opinion from the next person however, we should be amplifying autistic voices…not silencing them. After all, autism impacts them most.

To distinguish between what we, as an agency have to say, and autistic individuals we’ll be using the graphic below, and the hashtag #ActuallyAutistic. We know that this terminology may feel a bit controversial to some of us, and we respect that. However, as an agency that has always prided ourselves as being at the forefront of our field, we have done the research, and invested the time and heart into working with autistic individuals, for over 30 years, who are now speaking out about some of the practices that were once commonplace. Those individuals prefer being referred to as autistic and support the use of the actually autistic hashtag, so long as it is only used to refer to content specifically from autistic people.

Community Autism Resources was founded by parents and siblings of autistic individuals, and we will always understand the need for parents and caregivers to advocate on behalf of those who are not able to advocate for themselves. Embracing the changing ways in which autism is referred to and discussed, does not limit those of us who must advocate for our children and loved ones, and Community Autism Resources will always be an agency where autistic individuals, their families, and friends will find respect, support, and assistance.