World Autism Awareness Day Continues In Oskaloosa

Old Man Winter was doing his best to be at the “Light It Up Blue” ceremony on Tuesday evening.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – It all simply started with a proclamation signing in March of 2011, and since that day, “Light It Up Blue” has quickly become an Oskaloosa fixture.

This year was the third year for the gathering that helps shine a light, in this case a blue one, for Autism.

According to ‘Autism Speaks’, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.”

According to the website,

• Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys
• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
• Autism costs a family $60,000 a year on average.
• There is no medical detection or cure for autism

So at the beginning of April, moms, dads, boys and girls find their way to the bandstand for their yearly greeting, words of support and encouragement, and the chance to share and just to show their support with those there.

This year was a bit different than years past. Oh yes, there were the wonderful blue lights shining on the bandstand, but old man winter was working hard to hold on this year, nearly making everyone in attendance turn blue themselves from the cold.

One mom, Jennifer Muchow, shared about the support she gets, “I have one on the spectrum, and possibly a soon to be four year old as well. So this has become a huge, huge part of our life. At first you feel very alone, and that you have nobody to turn to, but I found a wonderful group of momma’s for Oskaloosa Families of Autism. It was so nice to be able to relate to somebody, or for somebody to tell you ‘I know how you feel’, and it be true. I hear that a lot, ‘I know how you feel’, but nobody actually knows until they live it. So it was really nice to meet others.”

Stacie Weber who has been out in front locally in helping to promote Autism awareness added, “We’ve got kiddo’s on all ends of the spectrum. We’ve got some of them that are so smart that they are testing out of things they shouldn’t for their age, and then some that are completely non-verbal and that want to talk but can’t. So it’s just amazing to see the difference between one end of the spectrum to the next.”

You can continue to show your support for those impacted by Autism during the entire month of April, as it’s designated as Autism Awareness Month.