April - World Autism Awareness Month

World Autism Awareness Month is observed every year in April to raise awareness about autism and how it affects not only those who live with it, but people around them as well. It aims to help people understand and accept people with autism, support and inspire people. On The Couch with Nomzamo (OTC) wouldn’t let the opportunity of being part of this awareness pass it by.

As life would have it, nothing is a coincidence, because as I was wondering on how OTC could be part of the World Autism Awareness campaign, then 702 had an interview with The Star Academy Director, Ilana Gershlowiz, who is a mother to two sons with autism and is also Author of 'Saving My Sons - A Journey With Autism. The book recounts the 15 year journey Ilana and her husband, Martin, undertook to find answers to their sons autism diagnosis, with the hope that it will offer parents on a similar journey a real understanding of just what autism means.

Ilana's Star Academy

Ilana’s Star Academy, based in Johannesburg, offers an evidence-based autism solution, where parents can get help and solutions for children diagnosed with autism spectrum (ASD) or related disorders. The academy caters for the needs of each individual child and tailor made programmes to suit the child’s schooling needs, while empowering parents with information to guide them in making decisions regarding treatment options and autism schools.

Why OTC supports autism awareness and acceptance

Being an empath, I needed no further confirmation on which topic OTC will focus on during the month of April. The fact that I make a reference to the work done by Ilana, is because she’s talking about the journey she has walked, she continues to walk, hence it was important for me that somehow, I manage to get a parent or two willing to share their journeys with us. Like an answered prayer, with no hand on my side, two parents who are Black, willingly agreed to because I subscribe to a saying that goes something like…

 “Walk a mile in my shoes … see what I see, hear what I hear, feel what I feel, then maybe you’ll understand why I do what I do. Until then, don’t judge me.”

For more information on Autism Spectrum Disorder click here, email info@autismsouthafrica.org as well as www.aut2know.co.za