Building Autism Acceptance Means Building the Confidence of Students with Special Needs

Building Autism Acceptance Year Round

April is Autism Acceptance Month (formerly known as Autism Awareness Month), but The Harbor School believes that efforts shouldn’t be limited to one month. Not only because it takes more than a few special events to create real change but also because autism doesn’t look the same from one individual to the next. The more we build and practice acceptance, the more our wonderfully diverse students’ confidence will soar inside and outside the classroom.

Consider expanding your own calendar to include the following:

1. Autism Pride Day on June 18
2. Neurodiversity Celebration Week is the last full week of March 

No matter the day or month, instead of just being aware a person has autism, include and find ways to help develop connections to their surroundings and people around them. Through The Harbor School’s calendar of events, we seek to have our students be part of so much more than just our classrooms.

Celebrations of Autism Must Include People with Autism

It sounds odd to think that the one group most alienated by bringing attention to autism are actually people with autism. Though backed by good intentions, some of the messages come across as being incomplete or needing to be cured. Rather, people want to be seen and included as individuals with unique qualities. We work with our students and their families to:

• Use positive, inclusive language and symbolism around autism
• Prepare students to be successful in the workplace to change the underrepresentation people with autism have today
• Center celebrations around the autistic experience and amplify autistic culture.

Autism Acceptance in New Jersey

Your child sees themselves as a valuable and celebrated member of the community, and we do, too! There is nothing they cannot do with the support they have around them. We think the best way to continue increasing acceptance is to help promote the voices of people with autism; our students, members of the community, and leaders in our nation. By listening, we can all learn, and together we will grow.

The staff at The Harbor School would love to get to know more about your child. Schedule a tour or reach out by phone using our contact page.