A Small Story
Young Satoshi Tajiri had few friends and found it difficult to focus on studies. Most of his childhood was spent collecting bugs and playing video games, often at the cost of attending school. At 17 he rolled out a gaming magazine which soon turned into a video game creation company. He then decided to combine his two childhood hobbies of bug catching and gaming into one. His idea was risky but his mentor supported him. His colleagues found him eccentric but acknowledged his passion. And so, he went on with his heart and gave the world one of its biggest sensations― Pokémon.
Satoshi Tajiri depicts, in every way, how people with autism can create wonders if they get the support of their peers.
What is Autism?
Autism is a neurological condition which leads to an irregular development of the brain. It can lead to a range of tendencies in different people and is hence termed as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism generally arises by birth due to genetic defects. It results in problems of communication and socialising in children. Such children tend to be unresponsive to expressions of attachment and find it difficult to express themselves. They exhibit repetitive behaviours and often fixate their attention on relatively ordinary things. As they grow up, they make few friends and fail to pick up on social cues. In terms of learning, they tend to be good at fewer skills. Naturally, they get termed as ‘nerdy’ or ‘weird’ and may even be subjected to verbal or physical abuse.
World Autism Awareness Day
We observe World Autism Awareness Day every year on April 2 to spread awareness about autism spectrum disorder. It also aims to sensitise people about the challenges of those suffering from the disorder and ensure that they are treated with equal love and care.
Awareness about autism spectrum disorder can help people to detect it early. Since it starts showing in children right from birth, early diagnosis can go a long way in providing necessary aid to children so that their all round development is ensured. This helps the children and their peers to accept their unique strengths and weaknesses. Awareness about the disorder also promotes a healthy work environment for autistic people where there is no discrimination and everyone gets an equal chance to prove themselves. Autistic people may not be good at communicating but they excel at certain other skills of their interests because of their inherent ability to focus on just one thing. If there exists prejudice among the workplaces then much productive talent may be lost.
The World Autism Awareness Day came into being by a unanimous declaration by the United Nations General Assembly in a resolution passed on November 1 2007 which came into effect on December 18 2007.
The Day is celebrated by holding various conferences and events to educate and spread awareness about autism spectrum disorder to parents, health workers, teachers and institutions. Wearing blue on April 2nd has come out as a way of showing support for the cause of autism awareness.
An organisation named Autism Speaks started the tradition of wearing blue colour on World Autism Awareness Day through its ‘Light It Up Blue’ campaign. Blue colour represents a sense of calmness and acceptance, hence aiding the thought of accepting people with autism.
Another widely used symbol is the infinity symbol, which depicts that everyone is a part of the group and nobody is excluded from it.
Your Role
With 1 in every 54 children diagnosed with autism, there is a growing need to address this issue so that more and more people are aware of this disorder. Organisations at both national and international levels are working tirelessly for the cause of supporting autistic people, but it is also your responsibility as a part of the society to contribute towards helping those who suffer from autism. Following are some small ways in which you can be helpful to autistic people:
- Be Empathetic– Understanding such people and accepting their differences can go a long way in making them shine. Respecting the differences will allow both, autistic people and their peers to grow together.
- Be Informed about Autism– The whole idea behind observing World Autism Day is to inculcate knowledge among people so that they identify symptoms of autism early and provide timely diagnosis.
- Stand Up for Them– Autistic people can become easy subjects of bullying and exclusion. Discourage such behaviours at all social settings.
- Overcome Social Hindrances– Many people are reluctant to report such cases out of fear of what the society might think. But accepting these conditions and dealing with them at the right time may save a life. Hence, take the initiative if you know any child with autistic behaviour.
And last but not the least, spread awareness about autism by sharing this article as much as possible. It might brighten someone’s future.
By Pranav Alok Garg, Maharastra
