It’s that time of the year again, April 2, 2013 is around the corner and is the annual World Autism Awareness Day, one of the few official United Nations health related days. With 1 in 88 individuals diagnosed with Autism in the US ( March 2012 statistics from CDC), awareness, research on causes and interventions is extremely important. The United Nations offers it as a “Global Challenge”:

Autism Speaks “Light it Up Blue” website provides items, tools and resources, an app and a gallery of how others have celebrated the day.

The Light it Up Blue mobile app is available for iOS and Android and provides a tool to take pictures of your event, color them blue and share them via Facebook. It also provides a method to donate to the cause.

A few other suggestions to celebrate the day or month include:

1. Wear blue, invite others to wear blue

2. Use blue lighting for awareness to Autism during the month of April from the following resources:

• Using color filter tubes over lights – Lee Filters
• Blue light filters –  Roscoe , Lee Filters
• Classroom light filters – Blue – nylon covers for ceiling light panels
• Blue light bulbs from Home Depot – Home Depot will donate $1.00 to Autism Speaks for purchase of a bulb

3. Provide information to the community, students, parents, clubs on Autism. The Autism Society – Resource Materials has many resources and publications on a variety of aspects about Autism.

4. Post the Light It Up Blue logos on your website or blog: http://www.lightitupblue.org/Markslist/charityAffiliate/displayPage.do?siteIdCode=LSE0Q1A0&pageId=9

5. Display the Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon on your car, wear a pin, post on your website : http://www.autism-society.org/about-us/puzzle-ribbon.html

6. Purchase other items featuring Autism Awarenss of them: https://secure2.convio.net/asa/site/Ecommerce?store_id=2001

6. Get involved. Autism Society has many ways to be involved and support the cause.

7. Read about Autism. The Center for Disease Control is just one resource that has great information : http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html .

8. Down load the app and post a picture on April 2, 2013 (Light it Up Blue mobile app available for iOS and Android )

What are your plans for for Autism Awareness Day? How many individuals you know have Autism?

References

Autism Society of America; http://www.autism-society.org/about-autism/

Autism Society of America Resource Materials: http://www.autism-society.org/about-us/publications/resource-materials.html

Autism Speaks! : http://www.autismspeaks.org/

Center for Disease Control – Autism Spectrum Disorders: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html

World Autism Awareness Day : http://www.un.org/en/events/autismday/index.shtml

Light It Up!

Carol