World days dedicated to particular groups are often as much about the rest of us as about the people they honour. They set out to build awareness in the wider community and to strengthen relationships. They recognise that people who are seen as different are often discriminated against, avoided and misunderstood. This causes suffering and exclusion.
Special days celebrate the gift of persons who are seen as different. They also educate the wider community to understand what their condition is, how it affects people, and how to turn avoidance or fear into interest and friendship.
World Autism Awareness Day (2 April) begins World Autism Acceptance Month. During this month, we are invited to see the world of autism from inside and not from outside. This year the theme of the month is colour. It invites us to dress in bright colours. The image might remind us of Joseph’s coat of many colours, a special and beautiful gift. It suggests that autism is not an illness but a way of being human to be celebrated.
The theme reminds us, too, of the band of different colours into which light is divided in the rainbow. Early scientists referred to this as the spectrum. In the rainbow the different colours make the light beautiful. In the same way the differences between human beings contribute to the wonderful variety of the human world.
The spectrum in which the light is refracted into many colours also echoes the way in which autism takes many forms and affects people at different levels of intensity. Underlying this variety are the complex ways in which the brain processes messages and so shapes how we perceive and respond to the world. Among people with autism it can manifest itself in in repetitive behaviour, resistance to change, difficulty in sustaining relationships, anxiety in new situations or broken routine, and in narrow intellectual focus. These features, however, are not all present, and they can vary greatly in intensity. Nor are they deficiencies. Some of them flower in extraordinary intellectual and creative gifts. Autism is not a flawed way of being human but a distinctive way.
There is little agreement about the causes of autism. It is commonly accepted that it has its origins in the brain. The way our brain functions, however, is also shaped by experience and by relationships. In practice, then, the life of people with autism will be affected both by the way their brain functions and by the ways in which family members and others respond to them. Like much other human behaviour it has both physical and social roots.
There is mercifully no chemical cure for autism, but society can support neurodivergent people by adopting neuro-affirming attitudes and practices. In common with other different human qualities and conditions. The best response we can make will lie in interest, acceptance and friendship. Joseph’s many coloured coat was best appreciated in sunlight. It was seen as a problem only by his brothers who lived in a world of black and white. Only later did they realise the priceless gift they had in him.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
A question of conscience: Questions and activities
Students will explore how conscience helps guide good choices, drawing inspiration from Jesus and the community. Using the See, Judge, Act model, older students will reflect on attitudes toward neurodivergent individuals and the ethical implications of AI.