A little boy gave me a blue light bulb in honor of 'Light It Up Blue', a yearly campaign to raise awareness about autism. On April 2nd, many national landmarks and buildings across the globe display blue lights. President Obama has made a proclamation declaring April 2nd of each year "World Autism Awareness Day." He urged all Americans "to learn more about autism and what they can do to support individuals on the autism spectrum and their families."
"To the CDC he is 1 in 88: to his family he is 1 in a million."
-Quote from a mom whose child has autism
The Center for Disease Control has released startling new figures suggesting the rate of autism has risen to 1 in every 88 children. Although there are many theories, the cause of autism remains unclear. Some think the increase may be due to more health care professionals recognizing and diagnosing it. One thing experts do agree upon is that sharing information about autism promotes acceptance and understanding. It is important to realize, although there are common traits, every child with autism is unique. As with any child, no two are alike. They each have their own unique strengths and abilities. Throughout the month of April, the blue bulb will be in our school lobby display case as a reminder to show support and acceptance to children and families affected by autism. I hope everyone who reads this will take a moment to learn and share something new about autism. For more resources visit: HHS: Autism 
Temple Grandin: The world needs different kinds of minds.
This video is of a TED Talk with Temple Grandin, a highly successful author and researcher. She travels around the globe sharing her personal experience with autism
I also recommend the movie about Temple Grandin's life starring Claire Danes. It beautifully illustrates how the autistic mind tends to "think in pictures" and focus in on fine details. Temple Grandin used that ability as an asset to make significant contributions to the field of animals. She makes a great case for why "the world needs people on the autism spectrum: visual thinkers, pattern thinkers, verbal thinkers and all kinds of smart geeky kids."