Most people know that April is the month to celebrate Autism Awareness. Many participate in walks, donate to various autism organizations, attend trainings, or share their personal experiences with others. Whether you’re a parent, educator or just someone interested in learning more and helping spread the word, April has been a busy month!
Many hours are spent educating, organizing, and participating in various activities, in an effort to help not only family members, neighbors, classmates, and coworkers, but anyone worldwide learn more about autism. Autism Awareness events, such as Light it Up Blue or Walk for Autism are huge efforts involving millions of people. Many of us participate in, prepare for, and celebrate together after this event. This can lead to a feeling of accomplishment, but also of exhaustion.
Chrissy Kelly, mom of two boys with autism, shares some great ways to recoup, recover and maintain with the simple strategies found in her blog post Autism Moms: 5 Ways to Take Care of You
Taking time for yourself to relax and recover, is important! Remember, as the month of April ends, and so do the multitude of autism awareness events, building awareness doesn't. Efforts need to be maintained throughout the year. As we move into May and the summer months, continue to spread the word about autism and share information about supports and resources, such as the CAPTAIN X newsletter, offer a helping hand to a family whose world just changed with an autism diagnosis. And most of all, keep doing what you are doing as an educator, family member or friend. Your efforts are making a difference for someone with autism.