Another great day at San Fransisco’s Amusement park. Our third year attending California’s, Great America Disability Awareness Day and I am asking myself the titled question. Is anybody really listening? Many people campaign to sign you up and sell you services at these events that are dubbed Awareness Days. “Resource Fairs”…are resource fairs. On “Awareness days” I would love to see these resource companies providing some useable awareness. Set up for a day of info and experiential teaching. Real awareness should be free and easy to obtain for all people. You need not sign-up for a fee or join a program to get some later if you’re lucky. Yes, we all need to pay our bills by selling our books and our services/programs to keep afloat. However, I see more organizations selling than teaching at these events. Sell your programs at the “Resource Fairs” and teach the public on “Awareness Days.”

So, after attending another wonderful event at a mainstream BIG Amusement Park…I have to furthur question, is anyone truly becoming more aware? Sure Autism is more of a hot topic today. Mainly because the numbers of diagnosis have risen dramatically in the last 10 yrs. Everyone has now heard of ‘it.’ What they think they know about ‘it’…is a whole other story! Professionals included.

Teaching people about Autistic people is what constitutes Awareness in my mind. How do Autistic people experience our world? What brings them comfort? How are they processing information? What brings them success and happiness? How can we best facilitate that? The lists of questions and things to be explained about people on the spectrum is endless. To infinity and beyond. Give me an inch and I will go a mile. Trying to teach you something about AUTISM you can take to the streets. Road rules to understand those of us living on the AutismHWY! Not just attending to provide you with a brochure of my services or a pencil with my company info printed on it. I talk the talk for Awareness because, REAL Awareness is the first step. If we don’t get people educated in a more functional manner the acceptance and comfort we crave will simply never follow.

Each year we have had a unique Awareness experience with teaching opportunities arising organically!

This year was particularly intense.Living up to our 2012 coloring book: “Why does Wyatt do that?” There are always many reasons and ever changing areas of concern in regards to our ‘famous title’ question! Today my 13 1/2 yr. old needed some very deep pressure, deep meridian tapping along the sides of his skull. Most folks would not understand that so…I only showed my hand slightly. (Moving to a more private location for the intenser moments) When I say meridian tapping , most would probably say head-banging. Wyatt feels pressure from the input he is experiencing (environnmental or physiological) and will not feel calm until it is literally banged out of him, up and down the sides of his head in repetition. One hour or so before the end of the event this occured. Wyatt became stressed, began whooping then screaming and was in intense pain. This momentary intense pressure builds up outwardly through a series of self injurious behaviorial pinchings of his arms head and chest ( &*importantly anyone who may try to stop him.) He grabs my wrists and then directs my hands to clap his ears and head. Up and down with gradating intensity. The finger pressing claps (kinda like the way I used to flip my killer softball pitch) gradually become karate chops (as directed) and seem to re-boot his being. Hitting, tapping and finger-rolling massaging these pressure points has become a sometime daily occurance over the last year. It can happen in any time of day in any condition and can last 20 minutes or longer. Are people ready for this? Most likely not…especially when he is in that intense zone but, when you know what your child needs you must ‘go there.’ I am coming-out proudly as a full fledged head-wrapping, meridian tapping mama unconcerned what anyone may think of it. However, quite willing to rap about it so you and many others can begin to wrap their heads around it!

This particular Awareness is not amusing and somehow I just love the irony of explaining something so serious at an Amusement Park! Guess, I just answered my original question!