Alyssa Chapman is Canada’s first Champion of Change for Autism Speaks. Her mission in this role is to champion acceptance and inclusion for autistic Canadians.Supplied
April is World Autism Month, an annual time for a dedicated conversation about autism. Autism Speaks Canada is a leading source of information and a national charity championing inclusion for the autism community. For nearly two decades, Autism Speaks Canada has advocated for, supported and stood with autistic people at every stage of their lives. To celebrate World Autism Month, they are calling upon autism allies to #ActFearlessly for change by launching a new autistic-led Champions of Change program. They also collaborated with other autism organizations across Canada to report on the effects of the pandemic on Canadians on the spectrum.
#ActFearlessly campaign encourages autistic Canadians and allies to come together and stand fearlessly to advance meaningful change. Approximately one in 50 children and youth have autism in Canada. According to Sarah Ahmed, head of marketing at Autism Speaks Canada, “this prevalence rate, combined with pervasive misconceptions about autism and the spread of disinformation, has made it more critical than ever that autistic people are supported, championed and celebrated.”
The Champions of Change program is one component of Autism Speaks Canada’s campaign. The Champions are individuals with autism, sharing their lived experiences, striving to challenge societal norms and promote acceptance and inclusion for autistic people and their families. Canada’s first Champion of Change is Alyssa Chapman (she/they) from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. They went through most of their life knowing they were different but never really understanding why. Alyssa is a high-masking individual, which means that her autism went unnoticed as a child and into adulthood, leading to her experiencing many difficulties without understanding who she was. Their journey into revealing and unmasking their autism was self-led and self-advocated. “I am excited to join my friends at Autism Speaks Canada to champion acceptance and inclusion for autistic Canadians,” says Alyssa. “By sharing my experience, I want to inspire others to recognize the diversity of autism and its multifaceted manifestations.”
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Pan Canadian collaborative pandemic survey and report
In partnership with autistic people, caregivers, Autism Speaks Canada, Autism Alliance of Canada, McMaster Autism Research Team and the participation of 17 provincial, territorial and other autism-focussed organizations, a 2023 Pan Canadian Need Assessment Autism Survey Report was developed to better understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic people. Production of this report was possible through funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The lead author of the report, Steve Gentles, also a policy consultant and researcher, says, “We are thankful to all the organizations for coming together to survey and write a report that is helpful in informing the next pandemic response for autistic people. The report provides concrete considerations for improving supports and services for autistic adults, caregivers and their autistic children.” Four key findings from the survey include the following:
- Changes in access to services and supports were generally accompanied by changes to health. Importantly, worse access meant worsened health.
- Remote delivery of many health professional services was more acceptable for meeting autistic adult and caregiver needs, but less acceptable for meeting autistic children’s needs.
- Caregivers felt certain or somewhat certain that the COVID-19 pandemic slowed overall child development for two-thirds of the children they reported on.
- Autistic caregivers were likely to have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic differently than non-autistic caregivers, in several different ways.
Throughout the month of April and beyond, Autism Speaks Canada continues to promote the message of inclusion for autistic people and to provide them opportunities for reaching their full potential. They need your support to fearlessly drive meaningful change.
Last Chance: Your donations through World Autism Month will make 3x the impact! Donate today www.autismspeaks.ca/Donate/
Advertising feature produced by Randall Anthony Communications with Autism Speaks Canada. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.