Today is the 14th annual World Autism Awareness Day. Joined by the international community, hundreds of thousands of landmarks, buildings, homes and communities around the world, Light It Up Blue in recognition of people living with autism and those who love and support them. Only awareness can open doors of better understanding and acceptance. This year’s campaign focuses around connecting, giving, leading and learning in kindness.
Light Up with Kindness: Show the Love
April is World Autism Month! We wear blue and decorate the salon in blue all month long to show our love and support for our customers with autism. Our Kids Hair Experts are trained and certified to meet the needs of kids with autism. We want every child to have fun and enjoy their time with us.
Be Kind: Share the Love
We love our customers with sensory sensitivities who are brave enough to face the world each day. Let alone visit us for Haircut Adventures. A salon can be a loud and overwhelming place for kiddos with autism. At Snip-its, we do our best to recognize their sensory sensitivities and give each one a visual path and help along the way. Kids with autism are special and capable of expressing any emotion in their own way. And we’re so happy we get the chance to give everyone great style and fresh new ‘dos.
Inspire Kindness: 5 Inspiring People with Autism
Understanding begins with recognizing the extraordinary and embracing what makes each of us unique.
- Dan Aykroyd – Actor. Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in the 1980s, Aykroyd says his experiences with autism contributed to his character in Ghostbusters and the idea for the film. He has had a lifelong obsession with ghosts and law enforcement.
- Susan Boyle – Singer. Diagnosed later in life, Boyle says her Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis left her feeling “relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself” after being misdiagnosed with brain damage in her infancy.
- Tim Burton – Movie Director. Never formally diagnosed with autism, Burton identifies with the condition. Burton’s long-time partner, Helena Bonham Carter says, “You can say something to Tim when he’s working, and he doesn’t hear you. But that quality also makes him a fantastic father; he has an amazing sense of humor and imagination. He sees things other people won’t see.”
- Satoshi Tajiri – Creator of Nintendo’s Pokémon. Satoshi has gone on record saying that he wanted Pokémon to give children the same joy he had during his bug collecting. People with autism tend to take up collecting as a hobby, so Satoshi gave them and everyone else a gift that only he could create: a whole new thing to collect.
- Temple Grandin – Animal Scientist. Temple Grandin is well known to many for her autism advocacy. She is a spokesperson for people with autism. Her life’s work has been to understand her own autistic mind and to share that knowledge with the world. Aiding in the treatment of individuals with the condition.
The Power of Kindness: 5 Historical People with Autism*
*experts now conclude, as mainstream autism diagnosis as we know it today started in the 20th century
The power of positivity truly changes the world – it always has. Although diagnosis may be recent, exceptional people with amazing minds have always been on the spectrum.
- Charles Darwin – Naturalist, Geologist and Biologist.
- Emily Dickinson – Poet.
- Albert Einstein – Scientist & Mathematician.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Classical Composer.
- Nikola Tesla – Inventor.
Kindness Counts: Books We Love About Kids with Autism or With Main Characters with Autism
Reading out loud as a family can start some good conversations. We like these for some family fun-time in April.
- Rules by Cynthia Lord – This Newberry Honor Book is a heartfelt and witty story about feeling different and finding acceptance—beyond the rules.
- Uniquely Wired: A Story about Autism and Its Gifts by Julia Cook – This story helps others understand the condition, as well as some of the unique behaviors or unconventional responses of kids with autism.
- How to Look for a Lost Dog by Ann M. Martin – 11-year-old Rose struggles to understand her classmates. But when her father gives her a stray dog, the dog becomes her best friend. Her anchor in a confusing world.
- Slug Days by Sara Leach – On slug days Lauren—who has autism—feels slow and slimy. She feels like everyone yells at her, and that she has no friends. Not every day is like this. On butterfly days Lauren makes her classmates laugh. She goes to get ice cream or works on a special project with Mom.
- Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan – Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions. She finds it comforting to count by 7s. Willow’s life suddenly and tragically changes because of a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world.
- Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine – In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. As an eleven-year-old with Asperger’s, Caitlin wants to get over her brother’s death, but she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that’s what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white. The world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.
Empower with Kindness: Free Autism Parenting Summit from Autism Parenting Magazine
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 20 & 21
The Autism Parenting Summit is a virtual event hosted by Autism Parenting Magazine.
This Summit aims to help parents of children on the autism spectrum. It’s packed full of expert speaker sessions helping attendees in the areas that matter most.
Parenting a child with autism can be challenging. Autism parents aren’t just mom or dad, they’re teachers, advocates, therapists…and so much more! All parents worry about their children, but autism parents face increased challenges with communication, social skills, behavior, daily activities, and much more. The Autism Parenting Summit features expert speaker sessions offering attendees advice and support in their parenting journeys.
The summit aims to help autism caregivers develop their parenting skills, learn from experts, and discover new techniques and approaches that could benefit their children. The speaker line-up includes doctors and experts, as well as people on the spectrum and fellow autism parents: to help attendees know they’re not alone in their parenting journeys.
Knowledge is empowering! The summit seeks to raise awareness of children on the autism spectrum, their unique needs, as well as other support for their parents.
A number of doctors, therapists, and experts will present at the summit. Knowledge is empowering!
Click here to attend and register! Get your FREE PASS for APRIL 20 & 21
Finally, checkout Snip-its Haircuts for Kids autism support page on our website and stop into your local Snip-its to help us spread kindness and show the love this World Autism Month. We can’t wait to see you for your next haircut adventure!
