World Autism Awareness Day- Go Blue!

today is World Autism Awareness Day, April 2, 2012.

Great monuments of the world will be lit up blue tonight, and you may see people wearing blue all day, or their Autism puzzle t-shirts. You can learn more at www.lightitupblue.org

The pictures alone are worth a check out. the Christ statue in Brazil looks incredible all in blue.

Autism is still very much a mystery with few answers, but there is no question that autism is on the rise, some say to epidemic proportions. We all need to care enough to be "aware" on this issue. These kinds of campaigns have changed the way we see and approach subjects like AIDS and breast cancer. Can you remember when
women who had had mastectomies were ashamed, told no one, or felt less than human and feminine?

Many parents of children with autism don't have the kind of support that friends and community should be giving them...and it only takes one thing- a small effort to educate oneself so that you can empathize. Almost nothing is more helpful than being understood. Even money cannot replace understanding.

Thanks for taking time to think about this, and pay attention if you see World Autism Awareness on the TV, news or web today.  Awareness never happens overnight, and sometimes it takes a long time. Colored ribbons and car decals may seem trivial, but it's never about the small battles- it's about winning the awareness war. Awareness creates significance, and significance creates support for research and brings true progress.

My mom graduated from University of Michigan, so it's always easy for me to say, especially today...GO BLUE!!!!!