Autism events aim to improve understanding

McALLEN - "Don't judge a person until you have walked a mile in that person's shoes" could have been the theme for the 12th annual Autism Awareness Event that was held Saturday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

April is Autism Awareness Month.

Beginning early with a 5K run and fun walk later in the morning, the stadium was covered in blue as part of the event to raise autism awareness. Organizers said they hoped to educate the community about autism, how families are affected, how to work with an autistic child and how families can cooperate to get through any situation.

Capable Kids Foundation, one of the sponsors of the event, began in 2015 when a group of professionals from the areas of social work, physical therapy and occupational therapy came together and noticed that children with disabilities weren't getting enough of attention. They decided to begin a nonprofit organization to focus on those children.

"The mission is to improve the quality of life for children and families, and children with all special needs and disabilities - from autism, cerebral palsy, syndromes and genetic disorders," said Melanie Watson, president of Capable Kids Foundation.

"We want overall happiness and family unity for the children," Watson added.

As part of the event, Capable Kids Foundation invited motivational speaker and advocate Kim Stagliano to speak. Stagliano, a mother of three autistic girls, spoke to a private audience Friday evening about her life at home and how she's learning to live a life of normalcy.

"We all face the same struggle, we have to use humor," Stagliano said.

Capable Kids Foundation, in conjunction with the McAllenIndependentSchool District, created the event to educate the community and added activities for families and the children to be themselves.

The event was not like any other. It included a sensory festival, which had activities of sight and touch. Some of the activities included Legos, modeling clay, painting and many other activities that stimulated the various senses, challenged children to use their creativity and allowed them to interact with other children. The goal was to achieve calmness while being entertained.

Todd Acevedo and his wife, Lizette, of McAllen participated in the fun walk in support of their nephew, who was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old.

"He lacked social skills and was slow to talk, so with therapy he's coming along and talking more," Todd Acevedo said.

In addition, there also was a health fair, children's activities and games, and local businesses offering advice and services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates autism affects one in 68 children in the United States, including one in 42 boys and one in 189 girls. Approximately, one-third of people with autism remain nonverbal, and another third of people with autism have an intellectual disability, according to the autismspeaks.org.

For more information on autism, visit https://www.autismspeaks.org. For information on Capable Kids Foundation, visit http://capablekidsfoundation.com.