Driving Notes

Thanks for joining us for Who Knew Wednesday today!
April is Autism Awareness Month and we wanted to give you some ins and outs on this month, this condition and one really fun thing that’s happening in our community that creates a fun enviroment and works to include those with autism!
Autism is not a condition that we can run from nor are there cures right around the corner, but we can learn through the eyes of those who deal with it every day. Many amazing people have grown up facing the prejudice of the world because they were different, but didn’t let it dampen nor demean who they were. Autism Awareness Month helps us learn that while they face certain challenges, those who face the world are people just like you and me.
Read more about the history of Autism Awareness Month from Days of the Year!

The Knox Board of Developmental Disabilities is a great resource right here in Knox County that always seems to have something going on!
A group of Knox County parents of children with developmental disabilities banded together to support and enrich the lives of individuals in Knox County who had developmental disabilities over 60 years ago. Ten years later, the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities (KCBDD) was established as the local government agency charged with the responsibility to serve and protect these same individuals and their families. Over the past six decades, the Board has filled many roles, doing whatever was necessary to help individuals live fulfilling lives and be welcomed as members of our community. You can learn more about the Knox DD here!

One of the amazing things that the Knox DD does alongside the Mount Vernon Nazarene University is the Lego Club. This is a great community effort to create friendships and fellowship with those that are presenting on the autism spectrum. The latest Lego Club was held on April 11th and gave the challenge to build the most creative first responder!

With any condition, there are misconceptions that arise with them. Our friends at Autism Speaks shared 11 myths about autism and the truths behind them.
People with autism can’t understand the emotions of others.
FALSE.
Autism is caused by bad parenting. 
FALSE.
People with autism are just like Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man.
FALSE.
People with autism are intellectually disabled.
FALSE.
Read the truths behind these myths and the other 7 myths here.

This list of difficulties faced by a person with autism are by no means exhaustive, but whether you are into brain training for children, are a parent or a teacher of a child with ASD, or are a certified Applied Behavior Analyst, there are number of things that you should know about those with autism.
“We struggle to communicate, but this does not mean we are not trying to be heard.”
“We may ignore or seem not to hear loud noises, yet we might be extremely sensitive to sounds that other people barely notice”
“The most capable of us may go on to lead completely normal lives, and many of us might marry and even have children of our own”
Check out this link to 20 things that children with autism want you to know for more!

Check out more about what autism is and how to join the movement of the Global Autism Project here!

Our Who Knew Wednesday Trivia Question was as follows…
What is the name of the original Lego theme park in California?
Our answer? Legoland!
Our winner? Rebecca from Butler!

Today in the food corner, we talked about BANANA DAY!
Here’s 35 recipes to use when you have ripe bananas because you need 35 of them.
My personal favorite… frozen banana cereal pops.

Thanks for listening!
– Lilly and Hannah