Autism Spectrum Disorder Awareness

My girl scout silver award project was based on autism awareness. I wanted to help my community become more educated on the needs of an individual with autism spectrum disorder. Planning our Silver award was not easy. My team of 3 including had various ideas and we were unsure which ones would be more effective. We reached out to Marianne Sullivan, an active member of Autism Speaks for guidance, who got us connected to the Autism Speaks walk-a-thon. This event opened my eyes to the unknowingly large autistic population. Moreover, it opened our eyes to the various circumstances and difficulties a person with autism spectrum has to face every day. To begin this journey we conducted thorough research, which consisted of talking to those whose families have been affected by ASD and online research. From this information we created handouts and began to distribute them in libraries, farmer's markets, and more. I believe that educating the younger generation is the only way to have a more positive impact in the future. My team and I then began to looking into schools to possibly give a presentation. At last, Hillbrook School allowed us to present to their eighth grade students. We contacted Lisa Major, a very active member of Autism Speaks. Lisa Major is affected first hand by autism through her son Nathaniel. She delivers speeches about his story and about the stigma against autism population. She worked with us on ensuring our presentation and information was accurate. Presenting at Hilbrook School, was a great success. It allowed us to see how many students are personally impacted by this disorder either through a friend or family member. This entire journey inspired me to continue to spark change. Moreover, I spent next two summers volunteering at the Extended School Year program as a teachers aid. There I interacted and helping elementary school students with special needs, on their school work.

#leadership #youth