Autism Acceptance and Pride

          Hello all! I know I've been MIA this past week, I was away. I was upset for being gone so long, especially during Autism Awareness Month, since I do have a lot to talk about on the subject, but I know that I'm not only going to speak about Autism during the month of April. As an educator of children with Autism, I think it is extremely important to use this month to spread awareness and educate others about the realities of Autism. That being said, I went to my principal last week suggesting that we do something this month to raise awareness within our school's community. Not only is our school the biggest school for children with Autism, it is made up of "units" placed within general education community schools. I thought it would be nice to educate the gen ed students as well as the community on what Autism is. I proposed we held a walk along with a show to celebrate and showcase our students talents. I wanted to show the gen ed students as well as the community that just because our students have Autism, doesn't mean that they don't have anything to offer to society. My principal seemed to really like my idea, and said that she would speak to the APs of each unit and try and set something up. She asked me to come back and talk to her on Monday. On Monday, I went to see my principal again, and her excitement seemed to have faded a bit. She said that she had spoken to the APs and they had reservations about publicizing the fact that our children have Autism. She said that a lot of our students, especially the ones in inclusion are not aware that they have Autism, and she's not sure that we should make a big deal to tell them. Instead she suggested that I put together a brochure about the facts of Autism to hand out to the gen ed students. I was pretty upset. March was Respect for All Month, and students were taught to celebrate their differences. What better way to follow up that theme than by teaching about Autism, and celebrating the gifts that can come along with it? I understand that people who aren't affected by Autism don't always know anything about it, and most people tend to think of those who are lower functioning especially cognitively. The APs and inclusion teachers were concerned that by telling their students that they have Autism, they will upset and confuse them and ostracize them from their gen ed classmates. While I do understand their reservations, I think it is important that these students know that they have Autism, and take pride in it. As with any disorder, Autism can provide those who are affected with many frustrations. I think by letting them know that they are different thatn their peers can help them understand their issues a little better. It is also important to teach their classmates who are not Autistic, about what it is like being Autistic, so when a behavior arises, or he/she stims or has a sensory issue, they will understand it better. Schools spend so much time celebrating children of different cultures and races, why not focus on abilities? These gen ed students share a school building with my students and that's about where the interaction ends, not including the inclusion students. They have the unique opportunity to learn about, with, and from students with Autism, and yet, we hide the true identity of our students from them. By doing so, we are doing a disservice to everyone involved. It was an inclusion student, a student with Autism who won the last school wide spelling bee against gen ed students. By teaching our inclusion students, and all of our students to take pride in everything that they are, Autism included, and by teaching the gen ed students about Autism  we can unite our two schools that share a building, and allow all students to take pride in themselves "shortcomings" and all.