Students and staff at East Lake Elementary School joined millions of people around the globe in celebrating World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. Everyone was encouraged to wear blue for a unified message of acceptance.
Throughout April, which is National Autism Acceptance Month, the school is raising money for the Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society of America, an organization that works to increase autism awareness, while supporting individuals and their families in the community. All families were asked to contribute $1 and have their name added to East Lake’s autism awareness display. The giant M is made up of puzzle pieces, which is a symbol that represents the mystery and complexity of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Second grade teacher Meggin Hall read her students the book she published last summer, “That’s Me: A Book of Being Fantastically Autistic.” Ms. Hall partnered with her neighbor, Izzy Kerr, a college student studying art education to do the illustrations. She published it through her company, Fantastic Literature Publications.
Ms. Hall was inspired to create the book by her two nephews, who have autism. Each page has one adjective ending in “ic” along with an illustration, to reflect the abilities that people with autism have such as being academic, artistic, athletic, comedic, energetic and theatric.
“We want to celebrate that people with autism are so much more than a diagnosis,” Ms. Hall said. “They can be anything. They have wonderful qualities. Just because you’re autistic doesn’t mean you can’t be absolutely terrific.”