Hello world!!!
I hope you and yours are doing well. I'm doing fantastic, thanks be to God! The month of April is National Autism Awareness Month, and April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day as declared by the United Nations General Assembly on December 18, 2007. Autism awareness is a cause that means a lot to me because I have had personal interactions with amazing people with it, and that developed my passion for its research and welfare of the people. Personally, I call it autism and do not like including the word "disorder" in it, because autism is the reason why people with it are unique but the inclusion of "disorder" puts it in a dark light in my opinion.
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 and Autism Awareness Advocate Ruby B. Johnson |
The summer before my junior year in high school, I was granted the opportunity to volunteer at a children's summer program called Camp Littlefoot. This Camp catered to the welfare and education of children with autism. Certain hours of community service were required in order to graduate at my high school, and I decided to volunteer at this program because I knew it would fulfill most of my hours. Before becoming a part of this program, I did not know anything about autism and I was curious to learn more about it. Before proceeding any further, I will like to let you know that I cannot reveal all the things and the behaviors of the children due to HIPAA rules, but I will try my best for this entry to be informational.
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| April is National Autism Awareness Month |
In the program, I was given the task of being a counselor/teacher's assistant. I gave lessons to the children, who ranged from ages 7-12, assisted them in their assignments, and catered to many of their needs. In my years of being blessed with life, I have done many things that I am very proud of but being in the presence, sharing and receiving knowledge from these children, is definitely one of my top achievements. I remember a time when I taught one of the students how to ride a bicycle, she struggled a lot with it in the beginning, but in the end she was successful. The smile she had on her face when she rode that bike around the school yard gave me hope and hearing her yell my name with gratitude and saying "look, I'm riding a bike!" made me feel so amazing in and out. I was very proud of her and her persistence in learning, even though she felt discouraged a few times when I gave her lessons.
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| The Autism Awareness Ribbon |
What I really want people to know is that people with autism are equal citizens of our society, and I learned this after having personal interactions with some of them. According to National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior." However, do not let the differences in people with autism make you treat them differently. There were certain times I had difficulty communicating with the children and getting through to them, but in the end, I was successful in reaching out to them with patience, understanding and perseverance. The way how these children played, joked around and interacted with people were just like neurotypical children in their age range.
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| April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day |
I am glad I became part of the autism community and I will continue to raise awareness on it, no matter how much or less I can. Each and every one of these children made a positive impact in my life, and I promised myself to return that favor to them. The children taught me (without even knowing) that I should always be myself and never let words or differences hinder my achievement. In addition, I learned to be more patient, understanding and caring regardless of what the circumstance may be.
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| Autism: Together We Can Solve The Puzzle |
Make the effort to know more about autism, because it is real and does exist. Today 1 in 68 children (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) is
diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, some family members are unaware of it, and do not understand the reason behind why their child is unique. Get involved in events and programs that work towards the development and enrichment of people in the autism community. I know that support is something that a lot of families with a person with autism need, so I highly encourage people that have family members with autism to create social units. This enhances their knowledge and behaviors towards their loved one, they will share experiences and knowledge with each other. Also let us remember that autism is a worldwide issue, "In Africa, the lack of awareness and resources prevent most children with Autism to have the necessary tools and treatment to monitor and/or improve their condition. Thus many times, they become a burden for families and communities" (
Autism Community of Africa).
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 and Autism Awareness Advocate Ruby B. Johnson |
I really hope that everyone in this world would be like that girl I spoke about earlier and never give up on a goal, no matter how challenging it may be. Join me in an amazing journey and become an advocate for autism. Light up the world blue for autism awareness in April and all months in the year!
Being different is what sets you apart from everybody else in this world. It allows you to be unique. It allows you to process information in ways that people will never understand, and see things in ways that others would find unimaginable. It allows you to break free from the mould of society. You are not the same as anybody else, yet you are no different to anybody else. You are YOU… Don’t ever change! - Autistic-ally Beautiful
Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.
