Just Light It Up!

How many autism parents light it up blue during the month of April? Show of hands...anyone?...anyone...?

How many choose instead to light it up with multicolored? Again...show of hands....anyone?...anyone...?

I am a mutant....I do both!

I have read the reasons why many choose to use the multicolors as opposed to blue and really, it makes sense but I am not here to dissect those reasons or to launch some sort of campaign or high spirited debate on the subject. I am writing this piece to show why I choose to do both and let the chips fall where they may.

Admittedly I have wondered why blue became the chosen color to represent autism, given the fact of it being a spectrum disorder. And then, considering the number of boys affected by autism and its related disorders (is it 54 out of the 1 in 68?), it made sense. I mean, shoot, I have a 21-year-old son who was diagnosed with Asperger's at the age of eight while his 19-year-old brother was diagnosed with classic autism when he was 4 1/2. In my household it has made sense.

Time has passed since my boys were diagnosed and more and more young ladies have been shown to be missed when being diagnosed and you almost have to wonder why? Some believe there is a bias in practices, criteria, and concepts towards the "conventional" (male)..((Dworzynski et al.,2012) while others believe the current screening instruments are not the most reliable in
identifying ASD in girls ((Andersson, et al., 2013) ). Still others believe girls may be better at adapting or camouflaging ASD traits/aspects than their male counterparts ( ( Dworzynski et al., 2012) ). Another belief is that girls with ASD have brains which differ anatomically than those of boys with ASD and that more research is needed to look over the diagnostic criteria for properly assessing these girls ((Lai, 2013). )

In other words, kids, autism is not solely a boys' disorder! Surprise, huh?

With this being said, why then do I choose blue?

I choose blue, for one, because of my boys. I have been their voice, I have been their advocate. They in turn have been my teachers and, amazingly at times, my rock when I felt everything falling apart. Their light, as light cuts through the darkness, has dispelled my darkness. Blue is calming, comforting (for me anyway) and my boys have been a comfort, a calming presence. Therefore, blue is commonplace around our house during the month of April.

But I also choose multicolored. Why is that?

Because autistic individuals, as with all individuals, are not cookie cutter individuals. Each are unique, different, beautiful, with their own secret splash of something that makes them who they are and when these colors come together...something even more beautiful takes shape. With that, multicolored are commonplace in our house throughout the year!

Autism Awareness does not end when April does. Nor should its acceptance. What was once 1 in 500 is now 1 in 68. In my home state of Michigan (4th in the nation for autism and autism-related disorders, by the way), 15,000 individuals are on the spectrum. You're free to disagree with me but I think way too much time is spent on what color(s) to use to get the word out there. Autism is not going away anytime soon, folks. My boys will take it with them to their graves and God only knows how and when the numbers will change again. Whether it's through a series of blue light bulbs, string upon string of multicolored lights, or a color that tells your particular story, just light it up! 

You may be surprised to see how your light dispels the darkness for someone else!