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April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, a time dedicated to highlighting the neurodevelopmental disorder and sharing the stories of individuals with autism.
Thrive Academy, a school run by Family Initiative, specializes in helping and teaching students with autism.
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Emanuel Merricks, a 13-year-old student at Thrive Academy, had some exciting news to share.
“Breaking news, Family Initiative has a lot of kids, and Family Initiative, they have wonderful times,” said Merricks.
With April being Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month, Merricks explained what this month means to him.
“Pranking people, like, for April Fools,” said Merricks.
According to the CDC, 1 in 36 children in the United States have an autism diagnosis.
“We’re getting to the point now where one child in every classroom in every school in America is diagnosed in the autism spectrum,” said David Brown, founder of Family Initiative.
The CDC also found that autism is four times more common among boys than girls. Merricks, like others on the spectrum, has unique abilities. He has an impressive talent for memorizing dates and is also a skilled artist.
“I would say I’m really talented. I like painting and drawing, especially like doing chalk,” said Merricks.
“You can see all the individual students have their own superpowers and a lot of things that they can bring into the community, into the workplace, that really move the needle and make a huge difference for all of us,” said Brown.
This month focuses on creating visibility and understanding the importance of inclusion.
“I think a lot of the families that we work with, you know, every month is April, right? In that way of the continuous advocacy for families what their needs are,” said Brown.
Merricks has many hopes and dreams.
“It’s a cute thing to fall in love,” said Merricks.
Personalized education tailored to his needs is helping Merricks get one step closer to achieving his dreams.
The post Autism Awareness Month: A day in the life at Thrive Academy appeared first on WINK News.
