April is Autism Acceptance Month

April is Autism Acceptance Month and the Mississippi Center for Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities has a spirit week taking place to celebrate.

Each day, the center has a different theme. Today was magnificent mind Monday, people dressed up in fun hats and wigs.

Throughout the month, people focus on sharing stories and providing opportunities to increase the understanding and acceptance of people with autism.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 88 children in the U.S. have an autism spectrum disorder. Board Certified Behavior Analyst Kristen Webb said, “There are some people who don’t know what autism is. There are also some people who know, just working on ‘hey, I need to go to the grocery store and I might be doing some things that are typical going through the grocery store.’ So, this is what I might see from somebody and just accept that. We are going to go through life a little differently than everybody else.”

In support of autism, the center is selling shirts. If you would like to purchase a shirt, go to mscenterforaustim.org.