Autism Awareness Day Marked by Local Advocates in Belize

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, a United Nations-sanctioned event to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD or simply autism, is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. Over the past few years, the organization Autism Belize has been working to raise awareness and promote greater social acceptance and dialogue about issues associated with Autism. Today, Christy Almeida, founder of Autism Belize, reflected on how far autism advocacy has come in Belize and commended parents and other organizations for joining in on the efforts. 

Almeida says that a major achievement over the years has been the establishment of communities, where those with autism and their families come together to support each other.

Autism Awareness Day has been observed globally since 2012. The theme for this year is “Advancing Neurodiversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”