April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day, starting Autism Awareness Month.

“The stats are currently that there’s at least one in 50 children in Canada that are on the autism spectrum and more recent data suggests that it’s even more prevalent than that, so it affects all of us,” said Julain Tomlinson, CEO of Autism Services of Saskatoon.

Systems are designed for neurotypical people, bringing challenges for people with sensory issues.

“Being able to navigate a world that’s not really designed for neurodiverse folks, kind of an exploration process from employment, housing, and navigating the system,” said Aiden Young, a Person-Centred Consultant for Inclusion Saskatchewan.

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Young says there are many misconceptions about autism, especially on social media.

“There is a misconception that having a breakdown or nervous breakdown is a part of autism spectrum disorder and that is actually not really capturing the whole picture,” he said. “People with autism (are) not being rude, they are simply being overstimulated.”

Tomlinson says Saskatoon has done great work around raising awareness and inclusion, but more work needs to be done.

“We need to create more inclusive workplaces, we need to be able to support our schools, they’re supporting children with autism. There’s a whole variety of things that we need to be doing.”

Young says talking to people on the spectrum is a great way to expand understanding.

“Take a step into the community and see all the diverse people out there and… going into a space where people with autism tend to connect and being able to connect with those folks.”

Throughout the month, Stacked Pancake House in Saskatoon will be donating $2 of every meal to Autism Services.

Watch above for more on what this day means for the autistic community and how neurotypical people can better educate themselves.

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