This post from April of 2010 originally. Wow this needs a little boost and thanks again to everyone that has helped in the past six + months.
It is time to take a bit of a serious turn for a moment, more so than usual. Not many know this but the entire month of April is National Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a disease that is not easily understood and often more of us test positive for several of the “genetic markers” of this condition. Some of us test positive for more and some for less. I know personally I tested positive for 8 of the 12 markers when I was a child. Very few people, if any, know about that at all but maybe they should.
I was diagnosed with a very mild case of autism and severe hyperactivity as a child. I was also very fortunate to have such caring parents who understood my needs and took care of them. Honestly I am very much a normal adult but there are so many that are not quite so fortunate. This condition affects so many lives and in so many different ways. Autism can be very hard to understand. All we can do is really spread awareness and hope for someday, a cure.
Thanks to Light It Up Blue….there will be many places across the world that light up blue tonight for the cause of Autism. Also, tomorrow is World Autism Awareness Day. So what can you do? Well here is a short list of things that you can do.
Other things you can do to Light It Up Blue
- Wear your Autism Speaks puzzle piece pin every day throughout the month of April, and tell people about autism if they ask about it.
- Change your Facebook profile picture to the Light It Up Blue logo and tag at least 10 of your friends.
- Post on your blog about how you are “lighting it up blue” to raise autism awareness.
- Add the Light It Up Blue logo to your e-mail signature … and type your e-mails in blue!
- On April 2 wear blue clothing and ask your co-workers, schools and friends to wear blue too. Take pictures and add them to our Flickr gallery.
- Bake puzzle piece shaped cookies and frost them with blue icing, then bring them to your school, work or place of worship to raise autism awareness.
The other things that I guess many did not know about me was for a year I substituted throughout Morongo Valley School District dealing mostly with autistic children. It is a very demanding experience but something I would never trade for..for the world. Here is a video that I hope helps people understand a little more.
Communicating hope….
I sincerely hope that as hockey fans we can get the world out all month about Autism. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors and whomever else you can. Just get the word out. A little awareness can really make a world of difference. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Chris Wassel
Director Of The Program
