April 2 – World Autism Awareness Day

Autism spectrum disorders, whose prevalence is now recorded at 3.2% according to recent CDC data, are not an illness, nor simply a difference. They are a neurodevelopmental disorder that creates varying degrees of difficulty in communication, in the sensory processing of environmental stimuli, and in social interaction.

It is absolutely necessary to understand the nature of this difference and the particular characteristics of people with autism, because only then can we implement meaningful and effective interventions. Only then can we respond to them appropriately and behave toward them in the right way, helping them to participate, to live happily, and to feel that they belong.

It is very important for children and young people to receive proper and appropriate education, as well as engage in activities that improve their communication and develop their skills and social abilities.

As they grow older, it is equally important for them to have suitable employment that promotes a sense of inner satisfaction—feeling that they are doing something worthwhile—as well as a sense of belonging, being part of a group where they coexist while experiencing respect and acceptance.

There should also, of course, be adequate—both in quality and number—residential facilities for the frightening future when parents or guardians have passed away and individuals with autism risk being left completely alone.

We very often hear the words inclusion and acceptance of diversity. In reality, however, well hidden behind words of compassion, behind sympathetic smiles, and behind political promises, there prevails the perception that autistic people are a lost cause. What they actually experience and internalise is the message: you are useless, you are incapable, you are written off.

This very perception determines how they are treated.

And the only thing offered to autistic people is crumbs—crumbs that they and their families are expected to accept with gratitude.

The State is essentially absent. There is no appropriate framework for education, no proper framework for employment, and no suitable or sufficient living structures.

Verbal support, words of sympathy, and expressions of solidarity mean nothing unless they are put into practice. Otherwise, they are empty words.

There is an urgent need for the State to address the problems faced by autistic people and to create a safety net by implementing organised and sufficient support actions in education, employment, and living conditions.

People with autism are not a lost cause. With the appropriate support, they can achieve many things. They can—and have the right to—coexist equally, without exclusion or discrimination.

From the Corfu “CO-EXIST” Association of Parents and Guardians of People with Autism - Affiliated member of the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Autistic Individuals