Autism Awareness Day
The 2nd of April is the world day for disseminating information about the problem of autism. World Autism Awareness Day was established by a resolution of the UN General Assembly on January 21, 2008, in order to draw attention to the problems of children with autism. The purpose of this date is to emphasize the need to help people with autism. Many events are organized on World Autism Awareness Day. These include:
- Panel discussions with autism experts, politicians and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives.
- Informational events for parents of children with autism.
- Conferences and workshops for professionals working with people with autism.
- Artistic workshops for people with autism.
- Television and radio shows, as well as newspaper features, about people with autism and their lives.
- The launch of educational materials for parents and teachers. § Exhibitions of art work by artists with autism.
- The display of posters and banners to increase public awareness of autism.
In Craiova we had an event in the main square with ANCAAR. Our project GAIA prepared a dance flashmob for the song “Happy” and ANCAAR staff spoke about autism and the purpose of this day to get the attention of the people regarding the topic and to inform them that in the community there are people that need our support. At the end all people positioned themselves in the shape of ribbon and released blue balloons.
But what is autism?
Autism is a developmental disability that remains with a person for his or her whole life. This condition affects the brain's functions. The first signs usually appear before a child is three years old. People with autism often:
- Find social interaction difficult.
- Have problems with verbal and non-verbal communication.
- Demonstrate restrictive and repetitive behavior.
- Have a limited set of interests and activities. Who is affected by autism? Autism occurs in people of all nationalities, cultures, religions and social origin.
Who are autistic people, in what world do they live, and why are most autistics boys? There is still no exact answer to these questions. Autism is a disease more common than many people think. More than 30 years ago, 1-2 cases of autism accounted for 10 000 people, now one out of 100 children is diagnosed with autism. Scientists around the world are sounding the alarm - it's more than children with diabetes, oncology and Down syndrome combined. They need our help, understanding and tolerance.
Before my EVS I knew nothing about autism and it was one of the reasons for which I wanted to be a part of my project – to learn something new. I’ve read some articles and watched some videos about autism before I came to Romania. But in reality I think every case is different, every child is different and you just need time to understand how to communicate with the children. They need time too to get used to you. At first, it was a really difficult experience for me because I had no idea how to act and what to do. But now, step by step we became friends with children. We always smile when we meet and we are always glad to see each other. I’m personally really happy when children are interested in our activities and smile to me.
