There are many different ways to increase autism awareness, and some are more appropriate for some people than others. Being vocal about autism and promoting awareness through living publicly is a good way for people with autism to promote awareness. Participating in autism fund raising efforts and wearing autism support items can also be a good way to promote awareness. Increasing autism awareness also involves being knowledgeable about the subject so that you cannot only promote visibility, but understanding as well.
People with autism who wish to increase autism awareness need only be seen in public and interact with others to accomplish this goal. Awareness is increased whenever a person with autism is visible and known to others because this drives home the point that autism is everywhere. If a person knows someone with autism personally, he or she is much more likely to be aware of the disorder and knowledgeable about what it involves. This can also help reduce autism stereotypes.
Families of children with autism can also increase awareness by being public with the disorder and proud of the individual who has it. By talking about a person with autism positively, you increase awareness of the disorder. Keeping a child with autism involved with children who do not have autism is a great way to promote awareness at an early age, although interactions should be pleasant for all involved.
For people who do not have autism but who would like to increase autism awareness in other ways, getting involved with autism fund raising events can be a good strategy. Many fund raising events sell autism awareness items such as shirts and bracelets that can be great conversation starters out in public. Just because you are wearing an autism awareness item does not mean that you are necessarily promoting awareness, given that people who do not understand the significance of the jigsaw puzzle symbol will experience no increase in awareness when viewing it. In order to promote awareness, you must be willing to discuss autism and provide information.
This is one of the more complicated aspects of increasing autism awareness. Being supportive of people with autism is not the same as improving awareness about this disorder. In order to increase awareness, you must in some way convey information about the existence of autism to people who do not know about the disorder. While wearing autism gear is a great way to show support for autism, it does not always accomplish this goal. Talking about your autism gear is, however, an excellent way to inform others about autism and increase awareness.