April is Autism Awareness month, and the 2nd of April was International Autism Awareness Day. The theme for 2026 is:
“Autism and Humanity – Every lfe has Value”
According to the World Health Organisation 1 in 127 people are diagnosed with autism. It is a lifelog neurological condition and often affects social interaction, communication and behaviour.
Despite international conventions protecting the rights of individuals people who live with autism continue to face discrimination and barriers to fully participating in society. Access to diagnosis, support services remain limited and have an impact across the life course of an individual.
The last couple of years has seen an increase in misinformation about autism including comments that it is a fad especially amoung adults who are getting diagnoised later in life, that there is an autism epidemic and that it caused by environmental toxins and the debunked belief that it is caused by vaccines.
Comments by political figures in America include that autistic children “will never pay taxes, they will never hold a job, never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date”. The list of celebrities and public figures who live with autism is long and includes the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Eminem, Satoshi Tajiri who created pokemon, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, authors Jane Austen and George Orwell just to name a few.
Well many of us will not reach the heights of the public figures listed above, the theme th today emphasizes the dignity, equality and meaningful contributions those living with autism make in society. It aims to promote acceptance, accessibility and meaningful inclusion across society including education, healthcare and employment where discrimination is often experienced.
English 
French