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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING THE MONTH OF APRIL AS AUTISM AWARENESS/ACCEPTANCE MONTH
WHEREAS, April is National Autism Awareness Month which raises awareness for autism and Asperger’s syndrome; and
WHEREAS, the Autism Society was founded in 1965 by Bernard Rimland and remains one of the few grassroots organizations in the autistic community; and
WHEREAS, National Autism Awareness Month began in 1972 as National Autistic Children’s Week. The Autism Society founded the event to increase awareness, advocate awareness, and spark change in schools, communities, medical facilities, and businesses; and
WHEREAS, the month-long observance takes place during World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD), celebrated each year on April 2nd which was adopted by the United Nations in 2007 to shine a bright light on autism as a growing global health crisis; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, Autism Awareness Month was renamed Autism Acceptance Month to foster acceptance and ignite change; and
WHEREAS, autism is a complex brain disorder that often inhibits a person’s ability to communicate, respond to surroundings, and form relationships with others; and
WHEREAS, according to World Health Organization (WHO), about one in 270 people in the world has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which is a group of developmental disabilities that causes challenges in many areas of one’s life; and
WHEREAS, autism has become the fastest growing diagnosis in the world, with the diagnosis rate of children with autism increasing from 1 in every 2000 children in the 1970's and 1980's to 1 in every 68 children today; and
WHEREAS, some of the profoundly affected areas include social, communication, and behavior. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are usually nonverbal, or they have restricted or repetitive behaviors; and
WHEREAS, although the autism spectrum is vast, some of the common signs in autistic individuals are repetitive behaviors, hyperactivity, and extreme sensitivity to light, touch, and sound; and
WHEREAS, the blue “Forget-me-not” flower represents autism to raise awareness; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners recognizes the Month of April as Autism Awareness/Acceptance month.
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