October = Autism Awareness Month

Hello Mount students!

         I want to let you all know today that this month (October) is Autism Awareness Month here at the Mount. It's going to be a rather fun month to get to learn about a permanent disability that affects many people in Canada (1 in 88, to be exact). So to help put on awareness, I  thought I write a little bit about what Autism is.

         Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, or simply Autism) is a neural developmental disorder, meaning that it affects the development of the brain, though you mainly see it from a psychological perspective. Symptoms can vary from person to person, hence why it is called a spectrum disorder. Therefore, if you have met one autistic person, that's just it: one autistic person. The old adage of "you see one thing, you've seen them all" does not really apply in this case.

         I also live with Autism. For me, it's not really the easiest to live with something that can restrict you full potential to do things. But I have had help over the years through early intervention, speech language pathologists, etc. One of the main way that Autism acts as a disability for me is that I cannot fully pick up on some social cues that many people take for granted. Yes, it's frustrating, but I do have a habit of going through learning curves, so maybe I'll get through it someday.

         So if you want to get a better understanding of Autism, my advice is to go and meet an autistic person. Get to know them, their interests, their dreams, their story. I can't emphasize more on how important it is to really know a person, except that knowing a person with a disability, or even being friends with one, is a great start to helping them out later in life.

         In other news, to celebrate Autism Awareness Month, we will be hosting a poetry slam/talent night in Vinnie's Pub in the middle-end of October. it will be a fun and free event that will be open to Mount students and faculty, and i will be around to answer questions that you may have about what my life is like with Autism. If you want to be involved with this event, you can email me here. Stay tuned on Facebook for more information on the event. If you want more information about Autism, you can check out Autism Nova Scotia.

Have a fun-filled month!

Alex Sweeney
Inclusion Advancement Liaison, MSVU