What Comes After Awareness?

Photo: Mind.org

As you’ve probably heard, April is Autism Awareness Month. I've been asked to walk, write an article and help at several awareness events this month, and I have decided to not to participate in any of these events or activities.

To those of you who don't know me, this will sound contradictory to the work I do. It might even confuse or offend but before you un-join my blog or de-friend my Facebook page in protest, let me explain why I will not be raising any more awareness for any causes.

I feel as if the time & energy spent ‘raising awareness’, debating vaccines, medications and the political correctness of the phrase ‘autistic child” & re-reading & quoting the statistics (which are from old data), could be put to better use. Over focusing on these things only stirs up fear, misunderstanding and other un-useful emotions and deters us from taking more effective actions. I'm leery of people, organizations & corporations who use this fear and misunderstanding to exploit families and push emotional buttons for the purpose of self- promotion & financial gain.

Awareness initiatives were useful at first. It got people to pay attention and it helped them understand better. But as time has passed, they have become less about education & more about promotion. There are awareness and acceptance campaigns for everything and instead of building bridges of understanding, I see people starting to filter and tune it all out. The messages have gotten lost and I see 'awareness' becoming less helpful & more of an excuse for inaction.

The truth is that parents and families of the “1 in 88” have more awareness than any walk or press conference could ever raise. If you want awareness, spend some quality time with an autism family. That is real awareness. Those who don't know what autism is, or don't need to know (because it doesn't affect them) will remain unaware & won't seek out the information that is out there until they have to.

Awareness alone will not cure, eliminate or solve anyone’s problems, and is of no use if you don’t take action with what you know. Discussing, debating & perpetuating the same emotional upheaval will never help a single child. It’s not what is needed. Action is what is needed.

Action cannot be effective as long as there is time spent getting stuck on statistics. Numbers will change, depending on who is reporting them and what their agenda is. The numbers are not going to give us any clues, ideas or answers. We cannot help thousands of children at a time or even 88 at a time, only the one or two who are closest at any given moment. We need to fully focus on each individual and take those actions needed. We need to start with the individual if any children are to be helped.

Start with the child nearest to you. Parents, professionals & support staff need to get on the same page and instead of spending time being enemies, put that time to better use. We are all on the same side, or are supposed to be. Communicate & think outside of the lesson plan, IEP and core standards and get creative in devising & implement challenging, self-affirming experiences that teach and assist kids to be more self-reliant at school, at home and in life. Help them learn skills that will give them the best opportunities for functioning in a world that may or may not be aware, & may or may not accept, support and adapt to them like their families are hoping and expecting it to. Teach them that not everyone will include nor accept them, and that is okay. It never makes them less. Sometimes they will have to be the ones who need to accept and adjust to others.


I’m not involved this year in any walks or events promoting awareness. Not because I don’t want to help, but because I know my strengths and my limitations. I know that helping raise awareness is not the best I can offer. I know that as long as I debate, discuss & promote, I am not taking action. I can offer families and professionals so much more and for long as I can, I will. So, I will continue to support children, parents and professionals through adaptive movement & yoga-based education as I have been for the last 12 years.

Its time to think beyond awareness and take action; not just for autism, but for all the other challenges and
"-isms" out there. Not just for a month or a day, but every day.

Action is what will always have the biggest impact.

 

*What actions will you take that will have the greatest impact?

Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com