Help Promote Acceptance (Not Just Awareness) of People With Autism

For quite some time, people have been “lighting it up blue” when April rolls around each year. But for the professionals and families supporting people with autism and related disorders, we understand a need to migrate away from awareness and closer to acceptance. There have been recent major gains in that direction. The Netflix show “Atypical” stars a main character with autism, as does ABC’s “The Good Doctor.” Sesame Street created Julia, a child with autism featured on the show and in books. Real people with autism are also gaining prominence. A South Florida car wash—Rising Tide—employs only people with autism. No Label at The Table Food Company is a gluten- and dairy-free bakery founded and staffed by people on the spectrum. Earlier this month, a young man with autism was signed by the Kansas City Royals to play in their minor leagues. And there are many more success stories. However, community members and businesses still need to move toward greater inclusiveness of people with autism spectrum disorder. For every empowering story on the internet, there are several negative counterparts detailing stories of exclusion and varying levels of bullying. This left us asking the question: How can speech-language pathologists promote acceptance in their communities? We decided to explore some traditional and new ways SLPs can help: Provide handouts on autism to local businesses willing to participate. Many coffee shops, supermarkets and other stores have bull...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Advocacy Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder social skils Source Type: blogs