On this day (2 April 2025), it's World Autism Understanding Day, part of World Autism Understanding Month.
Today's day comes from the United Nations observance of World Autism Awareness Day.
Over time, it wasn't enough to simply be 'aware' that autism exists, since that doesn't do anything.
It was changed to World Autism Acceptance but even that wasn't enough because people can't be truly accepting if they have no knowledge of what it is they are supposed to be accepting.
The current form of World Autism Understanding is an improvement because when neurotypical people have a better understanding of autism, they'll be able to have more meaningful acceptance and awareness.
Autism isn't a one size fits all disability, where everyone is sauvant, great in digital technologies and behaving like 'Rain Man'.
No, that's a neurotypical and stereotypical perspective.
Every individual with an autism experience has a unique autism experience.
Adults are not the same as children.
Many assume the way autism appears in a child is the way autism will appear in every other person in the autism cohort. That's not actually the case; perhaps it might in some but certainly not in everyone.
There is no one way that autism can be represented in a fictional character, artwork or news report.
Happy World Autism Understanding Day.
Happy World Autism Understanding Month.
