Aren’t we aware enough already?


Posted by Beth Finke on April 9th, 2009

I am a Nick Hornby fan. His book High Fidelity is one of my favorite modern novels. The movie is fun, too, and it was filmed right here in Chicago! I keep Hornby on my radar, so of course I took notice when I found out a few years ago that his son has autism. And I took notice again this week when I found Nick Hornby quoted in the Telegraph.

Mr. Hornby, whose son attends a TreeHouse school in north London, said: “When my son was diagnosed with autism there was a total lack of information and advice on what we should do next.

“It seems that little has changed – and that is a national scandal.”

It’s funny – usually when I tell outsiders that I moderate a blog about autism for Easter Seals, they say something about how much they’ve heard about autism the past couple of years. But still, according to parents like Nick Hornby, we need to talk more, make more people aware.

For the third year in a row, during April’s Autism Awareness Month and World Autism Awareness Day, Easter Seals Autism Spokespersons Network (ASN) and Affiliate Marketing Partners (AMP) members, at both the local and national levels, are actively promoting Easter Seals role as the largest nonprofit provider of autism services. Our goal is to let people know that Easter Seals is a trusted expert around autism services and drive the message that there is an urgent need for treatment and services for families living with autism.


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8 Responses to “Aren’t we aware enough already?”

  1. crobbins Says:
    April 9th, 2009 at 11:42 am

    Good post, Beth. You got me thinking. Maybe the question really is: what kind of awareness should or is being raised around the world? Before I started at Easter Seals, I had heard about autism (so I was aware of it), but had no idea what it was. Is the goal of Autism Awareness Month to raise awareness of autism’s existence or of what it is and how it affects people and families? There probably isn’t one right answer. What does everyone else think?

    Cam Robbins
    Interactive Marketing Producer
    Easter Seals

  2. Kathy Keefe Says:
    April 9th, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    I agree that this is a multi-part answer. I really think that there are relatively few, if any who have not heard of autism. In my opinion, the awareness needs to raised within the community and school districts. My observation is that the general public (anyone not personally involved with autism whether a family member, a student, someone in Sunday School) really are at a loss as to what Autism is and the extensive treatment that is required. Services are sadly lacking in pretty much all communities (from what I’ve read) world wide. The awareness to what services are needed and Why they are needed is certainly at the forefront. Education of the faculty and other staff members within every school district is high on the list. Why are children being “kicked out of grade school”? I believe it is only because of the lack of education of the teachers who have minimum to no knowledge or understanding of what autism is, let alone the proper teaching techniques, or if you will, extra accommodations, required. It is not oppositional defiance although to the unknowing it might definitely look to be. Many, many autistic children have above average intelligence and for them to be denied the right to learn in a traditional classroom setting is such a gross injustice to “our children”. These of course are just my opinion based on my firsthand knowledge of my sister’s ongoing struggle for more community and school awareness, the fight for more services for the families, whether it’s respite care, occupational, speech, or physical therapy, or for appropriate accommodations in the classroom. Unless you’ve personally experienced, there is no way of knowing and I personally think it’s way beyond the time some actual “hands on” awareness.

  3. Kathy Patrick Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 10:29 am

    I just got off the phone with a woman who has a 36 year old son with autism. We were discussing her family’s experiences when he was younger and what life has been since he’s been attending the Easter Seals employment program (since he was 17). She said, “They [the school district] didn’t know anything about autism then. That’s why I pulled him out early and sent him to Easter Seals. It was time for work, he wasn’t learning anything at school and they weren’t responding to his needs, Easter Seals knew how to meet his needs, so he might as well start working.”
    I like to think that some day there will be full acceptance of people with all types of disabilities, but until then, we will continue to spread the message of help, hope and answers.

  4. Lisa Olsen Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 10:57 am

    I work in a relatively small school district in rural Wisconsin. I have 9 children with Autism on my caseload. I can not believe that there are districts out there without students who have autism. Unfortunately we are all too well aware. What we need now is the focus of our efforts to be why so we can reverse this alarming trend. We also need research and evidence to support best practices on treatment for autism.

  5. Bob Glowacki Says:
    April 13th, 2009 at 8:17 am

    I would think we have struck a chord with our awareness. We are asking questions about the development of their child. The general public have heard of Autism, but it is not something they understand.

    Our next goal needs to be giving a window into the lives of children and adults living with Autism and their families with some treatment options. Especially, challenging society about the future support needs. I read a piece that said each person with Autism will need between $3-4 million dollars of support in their lifetime.

  6. Maddy Says:
    April 14th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Yes, autism awareness month. I love Nick Hornby too, all his books. I certainly think it’s a very different experience for us these days with all the services that are available, but that doesn’t lesson the impact on any one individual family.
    Best wishes

  7. John Kenyon Says:
    April 22nd, 2009 at 6:00 pm

    I think this blog is great, I like how cam opened the discussion up to other viewpoints.

  8. Donna Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 7:49 am

    I’m a licensed counselor who’s young son was recently diagnosed with autism. My knowledge of autism was 20 years old and I did not believe my son’s diagnosis because I was not aware of the changes in the diagnosis and had never heard of the “spectrum” and I’m in a related field !! So, yes more awareness is needed !

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