Put on your running shoes for autism awareness
Blue and You Autism Awareness is a non-profit organisation which seeks to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder and assist low-income families with treatment for their children affected by the condition.
THE Blue and You Autism Awareness NPO have organised a virtual walk/run on Saturday, June 11 in honour of Autism Awareness Month, celebrated every April.
The NPO will be unable to stage its live event, which previously drew over one thousand people, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, they will instead hold a virtual event as they have done for the past two years.
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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complicated developmental disorder characterized by persistent difficulties in social interaction, speech and non-verbal communication and restricted/repetitive behaviours. Each person’s experience with ASD and the intensity of their symptoms is unique.
According to Blue and You Autism’s Paige Staphorst, “The virtual walk is a great way to create awareness about autism, and any support offered can make a great difference in a person with autism spectrum disorder.”
Kloof resident, Denise Ledingham, has 13 and 11-year-old sons who are both diagnosed with ASD. She appealed to the public to support the fundraiser and feels it’s vital to raise awareness of ASD.
“My sons Rogan and Callan both have autism. They are both in the remedial unit at Kloof Senior Primary School (KSP).”
Ledingham noted that raising children with autism has been a lengthy journey filled with learning patience and growing a thick skin to endure the judgement of others.
“Raising a child with autism is difficult. Especially at first, when you’re trying to figure out why your child is different, it makes you feel like you are a horrible parent. Over time, it becomes easier, and you begin to accept and discover your new sense of normal,” she said.
“Other parents often advised me not to get a diagnosis because it would place my children in a ‘box’, but it was the best thing we could have done since we could then seek help and surround ourselves with other parents who understood,” she added.
People fail to understand that children with ASD are normal children who just think differently and face additional challenges.
“I formed a WhatsApp group for moms so we could share information and ideas and not feel so alone. I do not believe I’ve put my sons in a box because they’re on a spectrum, not a box. We refer to it as their superpower, and we have found notable successful people with ASD to serve as role models for them,” said the proud mother.
The event will begin at 08:00 on Saturday, June 11. Participants can walk, ride or run for autism over distances of 3km, 5km or 8km.
To enter, sign up on: https://www.howler.co.za/blueandyoufunrun. The entry fee is R70, and the first 300 entries will receive a free T-shirt.
There will be a lucky draw which will be done via Facebook with amazing prizes to be won.
The money raised will go toward children’s therapy at Aut2grow.
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