National Lend A Hand Day Is Today -- I Helped With Walking For Autism & It Was Beautiful.

jpiper20 (67)in #life • 8 years ago

My fiancee, Tuck and our friend Tracy. ^

My fiancee was in charge of organizing and hosting the walking for autism event here in Savannah, GA. I volunteered to come out and photograph the the entire event. My little cousin, Tuck, also came out and walked! I was so proud of him. 1 in 68 children in the United States is currently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In Georgia, the rate is even higher with 1 in 64 children diagnosed with ASD.

With these staggering statistics, you would think this issue would be on everyone’s mind and a common topic of discussion. Unfortunately, it seems to me most of the time autism goes unnoticed, misunderstood and ignored. 1 in 64 – think about that for a moment. With numbers like that, you most likely know somebody, a friend, co-worker, family member or neighbor, whose life is touched by autism.

While I have been aware of autism for the past few years, I wasn’t educated on how autism affects people, the statistics and research on autism or the organizations assisting those affected by ASD. That’s the thing about autism – it isn’t always glaring or obvious. These children don’t walk around with signs on that say “I have autism”. Their struggles are internal and they are often times misunderstood by their peers.

Meeting all of the families at the event made autism REAL for me. These families and their children are why I walk. I walk for my future children in the hope that they find the help, support and education they need if they are diagnosed with ASD. Now, I invite you to walk next time an event is near you. It is a great thing to do!