What do the Empire State Building, the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro and this blog have in common? All are being lit up blue for April, which is Autism Awareness month."Light it up blue" is an initiative of Autism Speaks to raise autism awareness by encouraging the public to illuminate either national monuments or their front porches with blue light. OK, lighting this blog blue for Autism Awareness Month involves nothing more than changing this blog's layout settings, but just work with me here. As the father of an 11-year old autistic son, I have a certain self interest in creating more understanding of this affliction. And if I can help out the 1 in 88 children diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum and their families, than I've accomplished something more with this blog than simply writing about beer and running.
Besides, running is a lot about overcoming barriers. Watching my son work hard everyday to overcome the sensory and cognitive barriers of his autism in order to simply communicate and participate in our world has been an inspiration. While I certainly hope more resources can be brought to bear on this condition which is nearing epidemic proportions, if we can just take a few moments to appreciate what people with autism are going through every second of their lives, the daily challenges of our lives will seem a lot less daunting.
So please join me this month to support those dealing with life on the autistic spectrum and celebrate the accomplishments of those struggling with this disorder.
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