Things To Do for Mental Health Awareness Month

    

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Here are some things that can be done throughout May:

1.  Community wellness events.

2.  Create a peer support program.

3.  Film screenings that feature mental         health topics.

4.  Create a mental health resource             corner.

5.  Create a self-care program.

6.  Create a hashtag campaign.

7.  Mental Health Workshops.

8.  Donate to mental health charities.

9.  Start an exercise program, which is         good for mental health.

10. Start a mindfulness program, which is       good for mental health.

11. Children, teens and adults can keep a       journal.

12. Children, teens and adults can read         for pleasure.

13. Volunteer locally.

14. Create art with a mental health                 theme.

15. Advocate for mental health policy 

      change.

16. Read and share books with a mental       health theme.

17. Create mental health-safe work              places.

18. Encourage mental health intervention       throughout the lifespan.

19. Improve employee wellbeing.

20. Do some outreach about mental                health.

21. Create a relaxation room.

22. Connect with someone you love.

23. Do things that make you laugh like          watch comedy.

24. Be kind and preach kindness.

25. Seek help from a licensed mental

      health professional, if needed. 

26. Engage in a hobby.

27. Practice gratitude.

This list applies equally well to those with or without autism. Autism is not a mental health issue, but autistics many times do have simultaneous mental health ailments at the same time. Let's create awareness for mental health wellness, including those with autism, during the month of May.

Movie and Event Review: The Reason I Jump and event at the Loft in Tucson, Arizona

On April 30 there was a viewing of the documentary The Reason Why I Jump at the Loft Cinema in Tucson, Arizona. The Reason Why I Jump is an excellent film that described the world of the person with nonverbal autism. I was not able to attend the event, but I did watch the movie through a different venue. The movie review website Rotten Tomatoes gives The Reason Why I Jump 97% and it has won several awards, such as the Audience Award for World Cinema-Documentary at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Best Documentary at the 2020 Denver Film Festival, the Best Foreign Film as the Rome Film Festival among other film festivals, and a the book the documentary is adapted from is a New York Times Best Seller.

    The Reason Why I Jump is based on the autobiography by a thirteen year old Japanese boy Naoki Higashida, and translated into English by Keiko Yoshido and her husband David Mitchell being published in English by Random House.

    The Book has not been without controversy though. Organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association have espoused the method of communication used to facilitate communication to transmit the book is pseudoscience. Doctor and parent of a child with autism also claim the communication methods used to write the book are a myth.

        Despite the controversy and oddness surrounding The Reason Why I Jump, regardless of who the author was of the book, the book and documentary feature do a great job at describing the element of nonverbal autism

    Please leave a comment, whether you agree or disagree to drum up discussion of the post topic.

The Military and Autism: The Facts

The Military and Autism: The Facts

    It has typically been accepted that it is difficult, if not impossible to enter the military with an autism diagnosis, but this may not be exactly true. In 2010, President Barak Obama signed executive order 13548 into office Increasing Federal Employment of Those with Disabilities. This supposedly includes selective service.

Shedule A Authority

  Schedule A authority recognizes those with intellectual diabilities, severe physical disabilities or psychiatric disabilities to hire for employment with or without reasonable accomodations. Proof is required. The proof of document-ation can be issued by:

1. A vocational rehabilitation counselor.

2. A licensed medical profession.

3. A federal agency, a state agency, an 

    agency in the District of Columbia, or 

    an agency in a U.S. territory.

Military Involvement

    The Rand Corporation published a brief in 2023, and concluded:

1. Neurodiversity, like other forms of 

    diversity can strengthen national

    security organizations.

2. Within the U.S. government neuro-

    divergent diagnoses are treated as

    a disability.

3. The current number of neurodivergent    in the U.S. national security community

    is unknown.

4. Several aspects of the recruitment and     hiring process can pose barriers to a         neurodiverse workforce.

5. Once on board, neurodivergent 

   employees can face challenges               navigating careers in workplaces that 

    were not designed with them in mind.

The following recomendations were detailed by the brief:

1. Provide all employees equally with         accommodations that mitigate the effects of sensory stimulation.

2.Modify job vacancies and hiring       practices to attract neurodivergent       candidates.

3. Help all employees understand                neurodiversity. 

4. Support systemic change across the        organization.

Selective Service

    Even though the U.S. Government considers those with autism to be disabled, they are still required to register according to the selective service site. The website says point blank, "Yes, in most cases."

    I am not advocating war or the military complex, but neurodiverse inclusivity is needed in today's society. This includes government jobs.

Autism Support Should Continue Throughout Adulthood