April is Autism Awareness Month

In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness about autism, the Autism Society has been celebrating National Autism Awareness Month since the 1970s. The United States recognizes April as a special opportunity for everyone to educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community. (from autism-society.org) The Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon is a recognized symbol of autism. According to the Autism Society, one child in every 110 is affected with autism in America. In honor of her son, Samuel who was diagnosed with autism at the age of two, Martha Kerns Cochran made this beautiful wreath for her mother. At first look.....you admire this beautifully colored wreath with it's primary colors, it's fullness.....and the crafting expertise that it must have required to create such a thing......then you look a little closer and notice the puzzle pieces on the fabric. The puzzle piece was chosen in 1963 by the National Autistic Society as a logo because it helped to explain that autistic children are handicapped by a puzzling condition that isolates them from normal human contact and therefore they do not 'fit in'.” (National Autistic Society). And as with any organizational logo or mission statement, there is controversy over the symbol. But for today, we're giving a shout out to Martha and her son Samuel who live with autism every day, every night, 24 hours a day. I don't know Martha personally, but we are friends on Facebook and I read her posts that are everything from sharing the incredible difficulty raising a child with autism can be from the sleepless nights to the situations Sam can get into......to the awe inspiring achievements, sweet moments and overall unconditional love that a mother has for her child. Martha shared the Temple Grandin Facebook Page with me that has become a resourceful community for families affected by Autism. So many posts there of encouragement, inspiration and people reaching out for help and being helped by others who understand the daily challenges faced by families. So please drop by Martha's Facebook page and say hello and admire some of her handiwork. She is very creative and talented. She makes custom wreaths.....just give her an idea of what you're looking for and she'll be glad to work with you. Post note: When I started making this blog post, it was about the wreath. It's not about the wreath, it's about Autism. Thank you Martha for enlightening me today.