Breath of Fresh Air – Autism Speaks
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Francis of Assisi
Autism. You’ve heard it before. With the prevalence jumping to every 1 in 59 births this year, chances are you also know someone that’s living with it. In fact, you may know a boy living with autism since they are, shockingly, four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. Autism is a complex developmental disability that, frustratingly, has no known origin. It kind of reminds me of that age old mind bender – “the chicken or the egg” question – with the myriad amount of theories that exist but no actual evidence to prove them. Researchers have settled on accepting that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function because there are notable differences between a neurotypical child’s brain and one affected by autism. Still, the jury’s out on the subject and literally everything is a potential factor for developing the disorder, from environmental influences to genetic components.
When one mentions autism, it’s important to note that they are actually referring to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The umbrella term is used to condense four specific autism diagnoses – autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger’s syndrome – into one due the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning that can occur. The predominant telltale symptoms of ASD fall into two categories: social communication challenges and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Those can be anything from difficulty maintaining eye contact to repetitively rocking back and forth. A good example, however comically skewed, can be found on the hit show – The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) is a brilliant physicist with significant social interaction issues and displays several characteristics of Asperger’s syndrome although, there is never a direct mention of it. The autism community, however, doesn’t need a diagnosis to identify with the beloved character. Sheldon remains a revered personality for bringing awareness to the disorder and being a glowing example of the potential of leading a socially active, fulfilling life with autism. Then, there’s always good ol’ Forrest Gump despite what your personal take on it is. Trust me, I’ve done enough Googling to know the debate is real.
Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to this month’s non-profit – Autism Speaks. We can thank Bob and Suzanne Wright for founding the advocacy group in February 2005 after their grandchild was diagnosed with ASD. Autism Speaks is actually a conglomeration of Autism Coalition for Research and Education (ACRE), the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and Cure Autism Now (CAN). It was a good idea that they joined forces since they all have the same goals: to increase global awareness of autism, better understanding of the breadth of the autism spectrum, and advocacy to increase research and access to care and support. Austism Speaks has already gotten Congress to dedicate more than $3 billion and counting for autism research and monitoring. As if that wasn’t enough, the organization also supported research into the discredited theory that autism is caused by vaccines, but as of 2017 acknowledges “scientists have conducted extensive research over the last two decades to determine whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The results of this research is clear: Vaccines do not cause autism.” You can find more information on that and a host of other research they are ensuring gets done in the name of finding a cure here. That’s not all though, there are a variety of valuable resources for anyone looking for guidance on this confusing disorder.
When Autism Speaks divulged their idea for integrating an inflatable arch into their Autism Speaks Walks, Boulder Blimp was honored to share in their inestimable vision. Non profits depend on fundraising and donations from generous individuals to keep their operations running. In essence, it’s a community effort. Visual marketing is integral to getting the word out about any cause and we’re delighted that they chose to do business with us.
Well, that’s a wrap, folks! Stay tuned for the next installment of Breath of Fresh Air coming up next month. I wonder who the spotlight will turn to next! Will it be YOU?
