April is Autism Awareness Month (and April 2^nd was World Autism Awareness Day), so it’s a great time to ensure that your preparedness efforts are inclusive of people with Autism in our families, staff/volunteer pools, and our community at large. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopmental disorders and people with ASD can exhibit varying degrees of difficulty with communicating, social interaction, language and learning.

Often people with Autism have greater capacity for pattern detection and thrive when set patterns and routines are in place. These traits can provide great learning opportunities for your whole team. During Autism Awareness Month, consider making a special effort to actively include people with ASD in your preparedness and planning events – remembering to highlight both their unique preparedness needs and their particular contributions.

Tip: View and post this TEDTalks video for an empowering presentation by Dr. Temple Grandin, Ph.D – a world-renowned Autism advocate, animal behavior professor, author, livestock handling facilities designer – who was diagnosed with autism as a child.