On the evening of Friday, April 1, many prominent buildings across North America and the world including TD Garden, Fenway Park and the Prudential in Boston, the Empire State Building in New York City and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada will turn their lights blue to raise awareness for autism and to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day on Saturday, April 2.

The month of April is designated Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders. Many parents and professionals refer to this group as Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. There is no medical detection or cure for autism. 1 in 110 children are diagnosed with autism. A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes. Autism is more common than AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined. Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups. Early intervention can make a huge difference in a child’s life. Please visit http://www.firstsigns.org or the Centers for Disease Control for more information.

Some other resources for help are Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about autism and its effects on individuals families and society, Asperger’s Association of New England,
Autism Alliance of Metrowest, Inc., and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.

There are also many books and DVDs on the subject of autism. Several of these are available at our library or through Interlibrary Loan.

Books for Children and Teenagers

• Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
• Rules by Cynthia Lord
• Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
• My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete
• Looking after Louis by Leslie Ely
• Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine

Books for Adults

• Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
• House Rules by Jodi Picoult
• Not my Boy! A Dad’s Journey with Autism by Rodney Peete
• Horse Boy: A Father’s Quest to Heal his Son by Rupert Isaacson
• The Science and Fiction of Autism by Laura Screibman
• Siblings of Children With Autism: A Guide for Families by Sandra L. Harris
• Beyond the Wall – Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome by Stephen Shore
• Could It Be Autism? A Parent’s Guide to the First Signs and Next Steps by Nancy D. Wiseman

DVDs

• The Black Balloon
• Autism: The Musical
• The Horse Boy
• Temple Grandin
• On The Spectrum: Coping with Asperger’s and Autism
• Autism is a World
• Mozart and the Whale
• A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism

posted by Gerry C.