The Glen Austin High School assembly was packed with learners and teachers who celebrated World Autism Awareness Day on April 26.
To create awareness, learners wore sky-blue clothing and displayed balloons and placards with special messages for those suffering from the disorder. Candles were also lit and poems were narrated.
According to the mental health consultant at the school Dr Primrose Fakudze, autism spectrum disorder is a neuro-developmental disability characterised by deficits in social communication and interaction.
Some characteristics were repetitive or restricted patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities, which can include hyper- and hypo-reactivity to sensory input. She said other people on the spectrum became sensitive to light, touch and sound.
She added classic autism was the most common form of the disorder. People who suffered from it were smart and they would talk non-stop.
Fakudze added another form of autism was Asperger’s syndrome and sufferers had a lack of interpersonal relationship skills and instincts, an inability to express their feelings and a struggle to interact with peers.
World Autism Awareness Day is celebrated annually on April 2.
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