April is Autism Acceptance Month.

While historically called Autism Awareness Month, we now emphasise ‘Autism Acceptance Month’ to promote inclusion and respect rather than just awareness.

Today we have moved beyond raising awareness to promoting acceptance and appreciation of autistic people and their contributions to our school and society.

We recently celebrated Disability Inclusion Week where we learned more about autism. This learning continues throughout the year and we continue to grow our understanding of autism and the different ways in which we learn, communicate and engage with others.

To be inclusive when referring to an autistic person, we try to understand and respect their identity by recognising their unique strengths and abilities.

In our school community we have many students with autism, ranging from reception to year 6. We also have staff members and family members who have autism.

Some students with autism require supports to communicate or engage with others, others may require the implementation of strategies or accommodations to support organisation, learning or regulation.

Some students with autism do not require additional supports at school and some may not know they have a diagnosis at all.

Some students with autism may access external supports here at school, such as OT, speech pathology, psychology and more.

As the saying goes – ‘If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism’

We appreciate your support in ensuring Woodend Primary School continues to be an inclusive and welcoming place for all, not only this month, but every day!