Grantham Academy Goes Blue for World Autism Awareness Day

Buildings around the world were lit up blue on April 2. But at [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Grantham Academy it was the students and staff members who went blue for World Autism Awareness Day.

 

Everyone at the school made an effort to wear something blue. The goal was not just to promote greater awareness of autism, but to support the school’s students with autism.

According to Sebrina Shields-Taylor, autism awareness at the school is strong. The campus integrates students with autism in main stream and autistic stream classes. She serves as lead counselor at the campus.

“It is important to raise greater awareness in society,” Shields-Taylor said. “The prevalence of autism in the U.S. is 1 in 68 births. That is a high statistic. It’s important to be aware and understand how we can involve them.“

Autism is a disorder that effects a person’s social and communicative abilities. While some children with autism speak well, others don’t speak at all. Some have problems dealing with change, understanding other people’s feelings and figuring out social cues. But because autism affects people in varying degrees, some students with autism are in the main stream program.

[icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Facts & Statistics

[ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Autism now affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys[/li] [li]Autism prevalence figures are growing [/li][/ul] [ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the U.S.[/li] [li]Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average [/li][/ul] [ul class=”list list-search”] [li]Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism[/li] [li]There is no medical detection or cure for autism [/li][/ul]

Educators at the campus use [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]structured teaching to work with autistic students. This is an intervention philosophy developed by the University of North Carolina. It is a tool that helps people with autism better understand the world and function in it more independently. It is individually designed around each person’s strengths, skills, interests and needs.

Shields-Taylor added that the team of educators and the autistic program do a great job. But she stated that students are also the best teachers for students with autism. They are the same age and have similar likes and dislikes.

“It’s a team approach that has the greatest effect,” Shields-Taylor said.

The [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Grantham Academy family learned about autism via a live student-led broadcast viewed on TVs in the classrooms. The campus’ National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) also took part. Members of the NJHS handed out gifts. They also helped during arts and crafts time with students in the Structured Learning Classroom.

“A special project had everyone create his and her own unique puzzle piece,” Shields-Taylor said. “Students and staff members then connected the pieces together to show how we are all different. It was a great way to celebrate everyone’s unique differences, abilities and potential.“

 

Companies are taking notice of the strengths people with autism can bring to the table. Recently, [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Microsoft made the news when it announced plans to hire people with autism. Mary Ellen Smith supports the action. She is corporate vice president of worldwide operations for Microsoft. Smith also has a 19-year-old son diagnosed with autism.

“People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft,” Smith wrote. “Each individual is different. Some have amazing ability to retain information, think at a level of detail and depth or excel in math or code. It’s a talent pool that we want to continue to bring to Microsoft.“

National Autism Day promotes talking about autism, talking about acceptance, action and appreciation.

See more images of staff members and students during National Autism Awareness Day.