By: David Pavlecic, Elroy Elementary Physical Education Teacher
Every year on the evening of April 1, some 10,000 buildings across the world are lit with a bright blue light in an effort to raise awareness of autism. Autism Speaks, the country’ s largest autism advocacy group, celebrated the start of its annual Light It Up Blue campaign, in recognition of April as World Autism Month. Light It Up Blue is a global campaign to increase understanding and acceptance of autism. This year’ s Light It Up Blue participants included the Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, Aspen Mountain, Brazil ' s Christ the Redeemer statue, Rockefeller Center, Sydney Opera House, the New York Stock Exchange, the Paris Stock Exchange, and the Great Buddha at Hyogo, Kobe, Japan. Each of these locations was cast in blue light throughout the month of April to raise awareness and funds for autism. Thousands of iconic landmarks and buildings joined the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities around the world to“ light it blue” in support of people living with autism.
Autism is a general term that describes a group of developmental brain disorders that involve communication difficulties, social and behavioral challenges, and repetitive behaviors. We now know that there is not one autism but many subtypes,
ELROY
A HUGE Thank You goes out to everyone that helped make the first“ Fun Day” at Elroy Elementary School a success! We would like to thank the volunteers, local businesses, faculty and staff for donating and adjusting their schedules to make the day successful. We want to take this opportunity to thank the local businesses for their generous donations. The donations from the organizations helped provide refreshments for the volunteers and prizes for our students. The Elroy Elementary School would like to thank Pizza Hut, Wendy’ s, Definitely You, Giant Eagle and Dairy Queen( Whitehall) for their generous contributions and their support to our school.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Did April Have You Seeing Blue? By: Dr. Chris Winiarski
and each person with autism can have unique strengths and challenges
A ribbon made of multicolored puzzle pieces has become one of the most recognizable symbols of autism in the world. The various colors reflect the many“ faces” of autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorders( ASD) because no two people with autism are alike. The ribbon symbolizes solidarity and hope for a happy and fulfilling life for people with autism. The puzzle pieces remind us that the condition and the people living with it are still very much a mystery.
Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U. S., affecting an estimated 1 in 68 school-age children, according to a recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention( CDC). According to the CDC, more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined. Autism costs our nation more than $ 238 billion per year, and is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. These statistics are sobering and so is the need to secure quality support services for children and adults with autism. And though awareness of the disorder is increasing, autism still has no cure— and millions of autistic children and adults are unable to access the early diagnosis, behavioral interventions, and other resources they need
Autism Awareness Month first came to be some 25 years ago, when the Autism Society of America undertook an effort to promote autism awareness. The primary objective was to“ promote … inclusion and self-determination for all, and assure that each person with autism is provided the opportunity to achieve the highest quality of life. Awareness calls for seeing, understanding, and supporting the needs of parents and families living and caring for a child on the Autism Spectrum.
Following a recent report released by the CDC, autism awareness is more important than ever. The report cites that autism rates have increased by 30 percent since the CDC’ s last estimation in 2012. At that time, one in every 88 children in the United States suffered from the condition. Now, the CDC estimates that one in every 68 children in the United States are suffering from autism, which equals approximately 1.2 million Americans under the age of 21. Those numbers are nothing short of staggering and they help show why it is so important to heighten autism awareness.
rentwood Borough
SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
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