2025 World Autism Awareness Day
World Autism Awareness Day is celebrated worldwide on April 2 to increase awareness of autism – and the acceptance of those who have autism.
According to 2023 research by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 36 children in the United States is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is up from 1 in 44 in 2021. The most recent estimate from the CDC is that more than 5 million adults (18 and older) have ASD.
This year marks the 17th World Autism Awareness Day, a United Nations-sanctioned event. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly resolution, passed in council Nov. 1, 2007, and adopted on Dec. 18, 2007. World Autism Awareness Day was first observed April 2, 2008.
People commonly show support on World Autism Awareness Day by wearing blue or lighting up their homes and businesses blue. The color blue symbolizes feelings of calm, comfort, and acceptance in a world that can be loud and chaotic for those with autism.
Each year, the United Nations picks a theme to represent World Autism Day. This year's theme is Advancing Neurodiversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Without diving into the medical science regarding autism, neurodiversity refers to the different ways individual brains work. An easy way to think about it is to consider how different people learn. Some people can only learn a task by doing it, while others can only learn something by seeing someone else do it. This is a basic example of neurodivergency. The reason it plays such a big factor in autism is because autism is a natural variation of neurodiversity, which is to say it doesn't need to be cured, fixed, or changed. Many people with autism rebel against the idea that there is anything wrong with them and accept they just perceive the world differently.
In support of the autism community, The TwinStar Community Foundation works with and donates to The Bridgeway House, a social services organization who's committed to helping communities in need.
Here are a few ways to show support on World Autism Awareness Day.
* Attend an autism-awareness event
* Donate to a fundraiser that supports autism
* Read articles or books that cover autism
* Support autistic-owned businesses
* Share your experiences related to autism
* We hope you join us in celebrating World Autism Awareness Day. Together, we can make those with autism feel more accepted — and help them reach their full potential.
The blog image is the same for the TwinStar side as it was last year, visible here, https://www.twinstarcu.com/content/2024-world-autism-awareness-day