Nearly 100 walks across the country have and will be spreading awareness for those suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder this year.
The Southern New Jersey Walk Now for Autism Speaks event will be held in Mt. Laurel on Saturday, May 19.
Autism Speaks is a national organization searching for answers as to why the puzzling disorder has been spanning and inflicting so many children in the United States.
Christina Carty, executive director of the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter based in Westmont, said, “We’re funding research that’s designed to better estimate autism prevalence. We’re looking at assessing the impact of changing diagnostic criteria.”
Since the start of the organization in 2005, about $173 million has been committed to autism research, Carty said.
Research receives the largest portion of funds.
“We also focus on awareness, advocacy and family services,” Carty said.
Registration for the Mt. Laurel walk will begin at 9 a.m. at 4001 Leadenhall Road with the event ending around noon.
Public relations chair Emily Kreifels said there is no fee to register and raising donations is not required.
“It’s a family-friendly and fun-filled event,” she said.
There will be a moon bounce, food, child-friendly activities, music and mile loops.
“You can choose to walk 3 miles if you’d like,” she said. “You actually don’t have to walk at all.”
The walk, she said, is a good way for families to get together “and see that they’re not alone with their journey in the autism community.”
Many autistic individuals feel out of place, she said, but “you will not feel out of place,” at the walk.
No matter how severe your child is on the spectrum, she said, he or she can feel welcome, be creative and feel love from the community.
New Jersey has one of the highest rates of autism in the United States, she said. One in 49 children born will have the disorder.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just changed its national rate. One in 88 babies are born with the disorder nationwide, the organization said.
“It’s an insanely large number,” she said. “The rate is drastically increasing. That’s why we want to raise so much money for funding.”
There are plenty of benefits to attending the walk.
“It’s a great day for your children to just have fun,” she said.
In the past, the walk has had great weather.
Everyone will be acting the same, she said, and no judgment will occur.
Parents will also receive the advantage of getting to know other parents in similar situations.
Kreifels has a 6-year-old son who has autism.
“The hardest thing that we’ve had to deal with so far is getting the proper tools for school,” she said. “It’s hard to find the right place for him in a school setting.”
Individuals with autism face difficult transitions to adulthood, have a hard time finding jobs and find it hard to connect with peers.
“It’s hard for them to even live alone,” she said. A large majority live in group homes.
Many parents, she said, worry about what will happen to their children after they can no longer take care of them.
“It’s constant worrying from the family standpoint,” she said. “It’s just a feeling of not knowing where they belong.”
The goal for money to be raised this year is $425,000, she said.
“The money goes to good use,” she said. “It’s not going to some unknown entity.”
A walk will be held in almost every state.
The Greater Delaware Valley Chapter will host six walks.
Carty said spring walks are held in May and June and fall walks occur in September and October.
There has been a 78 percent increase in autism over just the last six years, Carty said.
“For us, these numbers confirm what we’ve been saying for years: that autism is a public health crisis,” she said. “We have to continue our fight to raise as much money as possible.”
The Autism Speaks organization is currently exploring the roles of environmental factors, prenatal factors, diet and nutrition, and chemicals and toxins in our environment.
However, right now, autism is not receiving enough funding, she said. The organization needs governmental support to make more of a difference.
“If you look at the funding that autism receives against a lot of other disorders, it’s much less,” she said. “We require the same resources and attention as AIDS, breast cancer, diabetes … now obesity is garnering so much attention.”
It is a myth that the rates are going up because doctors are diagnosing the disorder more.
“That’s simply not true,” she said. “Awareness about autism just in the last five years has changed so dramatically. It’s becoming harder to ignore autism.”
As of press time, the organization had raised about $70,000.
“Every year, new teams come to our walk and to our community,” she said. “Our teams are just so clever and creative with what they do.”
Once registering for the walk, Carty said, that’s just the first step.
Participants will be able to link to their Facebook page.
“In one day, they could probably hit their fundraising goal,” she said. “Social media plays such a big part now in our fundraising effort. We make it as easy as possible for teams.”
More than 5,000 people are expected to turn out for the walk, she said.
There will also be a resource fair on hand with more than 35 local vendors. Attendees will be able to go booth by booth to attain valuable information, she said.
“It’s not only about opening up your own wallet and make a donation,” Carty said. “It’s really about sharing your story with others in your community.”
Learn more, register for the walk, or donate by visiting www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/southernnewjersey, Inquires can also be emailed to kelly.gavin@autismspeaks.org or answered via the phone at (856) 858–5400.
