April is national autism awareness month. Every month is autism awareness month for autism families. For example, if a family is constructed of six people and four of those are the children, two of whom were born on the autism spectrum and the other two children are within “normal” range. The parents realize that two of their four children will never be able to hold down a job, have a girlfriend, get married, drive a car, or even experience a full range of emotions. The expectations and dreams are different. Perhaps the only dream would be that one child will one day learn to speak. So, the resiliency in this case would be applied as the parents and support system realize they need daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly endurance of ongoing daily trauma. There is no bouncing back in these family structures where the serious illness or disability is from the onset. Every day is a trauma and a hurdle, and it is never really “overcome”.
Autism families are aware they are different, and they deal with the lifelong disabilities in unique ways daily. Just like the other families who endure sudden illnesses and sudden disabilities, they adapt. However, the autism families have had to adapt from the get-go, and it is never a temporary situation or trauma; it is a lifetime trauma.
“The Autism Society of America, the nation’s oldest leading grassroots autism organization, is proud to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month in April 2021 with its “Celebrate Differences” campaign. Designed to build a better awareness of the signs, symptoms, and realities of autism, #CelebrateDifferences focuses on providing information and resources for communities to be more aware of autism, promote acceptance, and be more inclusive in everyday life.