Chelsea students observe Autism Awareness Week
June 7, 2012 2:00PM
Students at Chelsea Intermediate School hold blue glow sticks in observance of Autism Awareness Week. | Supplied Photo
Updated: July 11, 2012 6:01AM
Students in third through fifth grades at Chelsea Intermediate School in Frankfort recently observed Autism Awareness Week by participating in different activities each day of the week.
Activities included exercising in classrooms to help with focus; wearing a blue puzzle piece to represent the autism symbol; wearing sunglasses and/or a hat and bringing a small stuffed animal to school to support sensory sensitivity; and wearing gym shoes and walking quietly during the day, also in support of sensitivity.
Other activities included supporting communicating in words and pictures by placing a silhouette of themselves with a message about them on their lockers; and supporting autism awareness by wearing blue to school.
Students also participated in 10 brain training exercises to boost learning and sat together as a group while holding blue glow sticks.
“Autism Awareness Week taught students the acceptance of other people,” said assistant principal Dan Prorok. “While students learned about autism specifically, I think they really walked away from this week with the idea that we are all different. We all learn differently, we all contribute differently and we need all of those different people to have a successful school and community.”
According to the Autism Society, Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.
Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum disorder” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.
Provided to the SouthtownStar
