May 21, 2005 -- Autistic Pride Day will be celebrated on June 18th globally. Adults with autism and asperger's syndrome, children, and their families, can spend the day celebrating their
differences, many plan to have a picnic with relatives, go for a walk, or hand out information leaflets to educate the public on autism and increase awareness.
Such simple acitivities may seem the norm for some. However, children and adults with autism can suffer from a lowered self-confidence within society, as obvious differences such as
hand-flapping and stimming can create stares and negative attitudes from the general public.
Autistic Pride Day gives a chance to show the positive side of neurological differences. A piece of artwork created by those with autism, in the form of a collage, is planned to be
displayed in time for Autistic Pride Day via the group Aspies for Freedom, a group concerned with autistic civil rights - www.aspiesforfreedom.com
There is already an official website for Autistic Pride Day - www.autisticprideday.com which shows drawings and artwork by
children and teens with forms of autism, it also has an events page for anyone to add their own events and publicise them.
The theme for this years day is "Acceptance not Cure". There will be a new theme each year, and it is expected that celebrations for the day will increase each year as it grows in
popularity.