Murray, NEB- April is National Autism Awareness Month. Around 1 in 36 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the autism spectrum disorder. The Conestoga Cougar Crew has been doing a few things to help spread awareness about the disorder.
Conestoga Cougar Crew is based on Circle of Friends, which is a social skills program that often works with individuals with autism. Throughout the month of April they will be selling snacks during passing periods for $1- $2 and a portion of the earnings will be going to a local autism charity. To bring more awareness they have also provided a QR code link to an informational video along with some posters set up around the building. Special education teacher Dennis Wilfong states, “We appreciate this article because it also gives us a voice, and any student or adult who would like to learn more is welcome to visit with Mrs. Boudro, Mr. Krause, or Mr. Wilfong!”
Cougar Crew members have voted to support a charity, Autism Action Partnership. Autism causes some people to be non-verbal which makes it difficult for younger children to ask for help when they get separated from their families. The Autism Action Partnership has also worked with the Cass County Sheriff’s office in locating missing children and returning them to their families.
Spreading awareness on the autism spectrum disorder can help support the people who are affected by it. The most important thing that people can do to help is to improve their awareness of what autism is. “People with autism are just like everyone else; they have feelings and hopes and dreams just like you and I do. The biggest difference between a person with autism and a person without autism is that their brains are just wired a bit differently,” Wilfong quotes.
Students at Conestoga could help by making sure that all students have the opportunity to participate in different activities and events because often students with autism want to participate, they just don’t know how to ask. Wilfong says, “If you notice a classmate who is by themself, I would challenge you to invite them to join your group, whether that’s in school or out in the community; they may want to be by themself, but you may just make someone’s day!
