Advocacy for Autism: Its Importance and the Agency to Collaborate With

Advocating for Autism
Student Full Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Full Title
Instructor Full Name
Due Date
Advocating for Autism
Part 1
An advocacy issue related to children and families in my community is that I would like to increase public awareness of is autism. Autism is an increasingly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting up to 1 in 44 children in America (Autism Speaks, 2021). The disorder impacts how a person perceives, communicates, socializes, and learns from the age of two years and often continues throughout the person’s life. In addition to limited social communication and interaction skills, autism is characterized by restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests, delayed movement skills, anxiety or excessive worry, gastrointestinal issues, delayed language skills, epilepsy or seizure disorder, delayed cognitive or learning skills, irregular eating and sleeping habits, clumsiness, as well as aggressive and impulsive behavior (Arif et al., 2013). It is critical to raise awareness of the disorder and related issues because it promotes acceptance of people with autism as well as affected families among community members. While behavioral disturbances vary significantly between individuals, and symptoms tend to improve progressively over time, children have difficulty adjusting to normal school routines and cultures.
Educators and public members often misunderstand children and parents who have a child with autism: it is not uncommon for educators to make judgmental attitudes and comments about the behavioral disturbances demonstrated by children with autism. These comments or attitudes stem from ignorance but deeply upset affected children and their parents (Omolayo et al., 2020). Greater awareness among early childhood educators of the disorder helps eradicate stereotypes and misunderstandings. It improves educators’ ability to provide differentiated and targeted instruction and emotional support for affected children, parents, and caregivers. Early childhood providers can also play a big role in aiding children with autism to improve their symptoms as well as fostering a community culture of societal understanding and empathy (Petersson Bloom, 2020). Public awareness of the disorder also facilitates better advocacy and acceptance within the community: when members of the community have more knowledge of the disorder, they are more accepting of individuals with autism and even do their part in sharing and advocating. Broader acceptance leads to greater advocacy amongst the public and a social transition from the current deficit narrative in early childhood education circles to a more strengths-based perception.
One agency that I would like to collaborate with to help me in increasing public awareness of autism and related issues is Autism Society. Autism Society is a grassroots autism organization that has been actively involved in promoting public awareness of the day-to-day issues faced by people with autism (Reading Rockets, 2017). The agency has local and state affiliates in nearly every state that advocate for suitable services for individuals with autism. Autism Society has connected people with autism with families and caregivers to the resources they need through education support, advocacy, and referral to community programs. The agency's mission is to “create connections, empowering everyone in the Autism community with the resources needed to live fully”. The vision is to create “a world where everyone in the Autism community is connected to the support they need, when they need it” (Autism Society, 2022). I chose to collaborate with Autism Society because of its long history in empowering individuals with the disorder: the agency has for 57 years worked to influence meaningful change, mostly through public education, in support of the Autism community.
I also chose the agency for its individual- and family-centered approach to empowering individuals as well as families experiencing autism to make informed choices in the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. The agency believes in each individual and family having the right to choose the health services that best meet their personal needs. No single intervention is capable of adequately addressing the needs of every person with autism and therefore providing extensive and equal access to high quality, person-centered support and services is key (Siller et al., 2021). Another reason why I want to collaborate with Autism Society is its insistence on evidence-based education resources and intervention practices. The education resources provided by the agency are based on current clinical research evidence. Autism Society also holds that the selection of any intervention be informed by objective evaluation, goals, and outcomes. On the whole, the autism resources and support provided by Autism Society are not only supported by current clinical research but are also geared towards enhancing self-determination, promoting inclusive community engagement, and increasing overall quality of life.
Part 2
13th April, 2022
The Director,
Autism Society of America,
Suite 300, Bethesda.
Maryland 20814-3067
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing this letter to express my interest in entering into a partnership with your agency to influence meaningful change in support of children with autism through public awareness of the disorder and the day-to-day challenges they experience in the classroom. I am a Masters student and my current focus is implementing an advocacy initiative that increases public awareness and acceptance of autism. I believe that partnering with Autism Society, which has a long history of working to improve the quality of life for individuals and families affected by autism, will greatly advance my advocacy efforts in the early childhood field. My reason for advocating for greater awareness and acceptance of autism in early education is to promote additional empathy and support among educators and institutions. There is still limited understanding of autism among early childhood instructors and schools: a majority of schools lack integrated classrooms while a number of teachers fail to provide differentiated instruction to students with autism. I believe that that the insufficient application of “autism-friendly” education resources and infrastructure is largely the result of limited awareness of autism among educators and school administrators.
My advocacy efforts are therefore geared towards increasing community awareness, especially in schools, of the neurodevelopmental disorder and what living with autism means not only for the child but for parents and caregivers. Autistic children have challenges with school activities including changes in expected routines, social interactions, intense sensory stimulation, and untidy environments. It is crucial for educators to know how to handle learners who demonstrate behavioral issues during the unstructured parts of the school day or in social routines. Besides the agency’s long history of working to improve the quality of life for individuals and families affected by autism, I chose Autism Society for its extensive resource information and advocacy for autism-related issues: the agency has a national network of people and community resources to help individuals and families experiencing autism live happy and meaningful lives.
The agency has developed a collaborative community of persons with autism, their loved ones, clinic...