Autism Awareness Month is with us once again! Recently, the CDC published a new estimate, stating that approximately 1 in 54 children in the United States receive a diagnosis for ASD by the age of 8.
With this growing prevalence, many in today’s society are increasingly aware of what autism is. We would like to take this time as an annual reminder for us all to go beyond simple awareness and also seek to understand, accept, respect, and empower those with autism.
In this spirit, we would like to share some encouraging quotes about autism from others. Here are a few of our favorites:
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“Autism can’t define me. I define autism.” – Kerry Magro
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“There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do instead of what he cannot do.” – Dr. Temple Grandin
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“Cherish the children marching to the beat of their own music. They play the most beautiful heart songs.” – Fiona Goldsworthy
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“Showing kindness towards those who are different and embracing our imperfections as proof of our humanness is the remedy for fear.” – Emma Zurcher-Long
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“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” – Dr. Stephen Mark Shore
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“Autistic people are individuals. We are not all maths geniuses, we don’t all like trains. I am hopeless with technology and much prefer painting. There is no ‘typical Autistic.’ But I think we probably all like being respected and validated.” – Jeanette Purkis
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“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” – Alan Turing, creator of the first computer used to break codes during WWII.
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“Presume intelligence with all children with autism. Presume all of them are hearing you.” – Lori Shayew
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“Children with autism are very observant so they will notice everything, including your attitude toward them.” – Trevor Pacelli
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“Love every child without condition, listen with an open heart, get to know who they are, what they love, and follow more often than you lead.” – Adele Devine
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“When a family focuses on ability instead of disability, all things are possible . . . Love and acceptance is key. We need to interact with those with autism by taking an interest in their interests.” – Amanda Rae Ross
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“Empowering your young person is the key to giving them the skills they need to live an independent life. If you do things for them that they could learn or even do for themselves by themselves, then you are DISEMPOWERING your young person.” – Tom Iland
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“It seems that for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential.” – Hans Asperger
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“Patience. Patience. Patience. Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me. It may be true that I’m not good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed that I don’t lie, cheat at games, tattle on my classmates or pass judgment on other people? Also true that I probably won’t be the next Michael Jordan. But with my attention to fine detail and capacity for extraordinary focus, I might be the next Einstein. Or Mozart. Or Van Gogh.” – Ellen Notbohm
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“Autism is part of my child, it’s not everything he is. My child is so much more than a diagnosis.” – S.L. Coelho
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“Kids need to be encouraged to stretch their shine!” – Amanda Friedman
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“It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a child with autism to raise the consciousness of that village.” – Elaine Hall
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“There’s a saying within the Asperger community: if you’ve met one person with Asperger’s syndrome, you’ve met one person with Asperger’s syndrome … Within this condition, beneath this label, the variety of personality, of humor, of behavior, is infinite.” – Hugh Dancy
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“Don’t think that there’s a different, better child ‘hiding’ behind the autism. This is your child. Love the child in front of you. Encourage his strengths, celebrate his quirks, and improve his weaknesses, the way you would with any child.” – Claire Scovell LaZebnik
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“I wouldn’t be where I am today if I were neurotypical because I would have been interested in social things. Having a little autism helped me achieve my goals and not miss what most people thought I was missing out on.” – Evan Delaney Rodgers
Throughout this month (and beyond), let’s celebrate diversity in our world by finding ways to spread kindness to those we know with autism and their families. Be vocal about things that you admire about them, and ask those who have experience with autism to share anything that they would like you to know!
Autism is a vast spectrum, and it looks different from one person to the next.
We all benefit when we take the time to hear one another’s stories and perspectives and then take action by finding ways (even small ones) to improve the world for someone else.