It’s thought that as many as around 1% of the world’s population are on the Autism spectrum and more than 700,000 people in the UK are autistic. With such prevalence, World Autism Awareness Month, kicking off with the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd, is a much-needed opportunity to learn about the condition and create more acceptance, understanding and inclusivity about it. We explore how you can show support during Autism Awareness Month.
Why is Autism Awareness Month important?
As “spectrum” in “Autism Spectrum Disorder” indicates, “autism” can affect people, and how they see and interact with the world and those in it, in very different ways. With some people living with the condition needing considerable daily support, yet others able to live entirely independently, autistic individuals each have different strengths that can celebrated, not just during Autism Awareness Month, but all year round. Equally, each autistic person faces a unique set of challenges, which is where the ‘awareness’ element comes in.
It’s worth noting that some dispute the terminology around autism, with the National Autistic Society defining it as a “lifelong developmental disability”, but recognising that the definition is ever-changing. Others contest the idea of calling it a “disorder”, indicating they don’t believe it to be a disease. Meanwhile, some favour the term “neurodiversity”, subscribing to the model that autism and other neurodivergent conditions, such as ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, are simply different ways of neurocognitive functioning to be celebrated and nurtured rather than medically wrong or unhealthy ways.
This debate around terminology has impacted April’s ‘Autism Awareness Month’ with some calling for it to be referred to as ‘Autism Acceptance Month’ instead, believing it’s understanding and acceptance, not simply awareness, that are necessary to create a world in which autistic people are equal members of society.
What’s clear is that the month is well worth getting involved in. Here’s how everyone can participate:
How to show support during Autism Awareness Month
- Explore the free downloadable Autism Acceptance Month fun book from Autism Together with the little ones in your life.
- Fundraise for any autism charity or organisation of your choice, whether that be by doing a sponsored walk, cycle or marathon and benefit from the feel-good exercise at the same time!
- Challenge yourself and those you know to an autism awareness quiz – being mindful that scoring low isn’t a bad thing as something new would’ve been learnt by taking the quiz!
- Share your stories and videos on social media, tagging autism charities and organisations of your choice and using popular and topical hashtags – why not take the time to positively comment on and read other people’s experiences too?
- Add some of these Autism Awareness Month activities to your calendar – from free Autism Awareness Public Sessions and family-friendly Autism Awareness Month Celebrations to, workshops backed by evidence-based research and lived and professional experiences – searching sites like Eventbrite and Facebook is guaranteed to reveal some gems of events!
Everyone, neurodivergent or otherwise, benefits from being in control of their own health and wellbeing. The free Evergreen Life app, available via the button below, can help you do just that. It meets you where you’re at, and helps you identify the changes relevant to you to further support your wellness.
Reviewed by:
Anna Keeble MA BA Head of Content and Wellbeing Expert
Dr Brian Fisher MBBch MBE MSc FRSA – Clinical Director
- Autism Friends (2023) Autism Awareness Public Session. Eventbrite.
- Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) (2011) Autism Acceptance Day. Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).
- Autism Together (2022) ATMbooklet Autism Together.
- Autism Together (2022) How aware are you? Autism Together.
- Autistic UK (2023) Neurodiversity. Autistic UK.
- Autism Voice UK (2023) Understanding and Supporting Autistic People. Eventbrite.
- BestHashtags.com (2022) Hashtags for #autismawareness.
- For Display Purposes Only (2023) Best #Autism Hashtags. For Display Purposes Only.
- Gillespie-Lynch K, Kapp SK, Brooks PJ et al. (2017) Whose Expertise Is It? Evidence for Autistic Adults as Critical Autism Experts. Front Psychol. 8: 438.
- National Autistic Society (2023) What is autism? National Autistic Society.
- NHS (2022) Overview Dyslexia. NHS.
- NHS (2021) Overview Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). NHS.
- NHS (2020) Dyspraxia (developmental co-ordination disorder) in adults. NHS.
- Our Tribe Our Village Collective (2023) Autism Awareness Month Celebration. Eventbrite
- Therapeutic Pathways (2021) How many people have autism? Therapeutic Pathways.
