April 1 marked the beginning of Autism Acceptance Month.

To celebrate, The Arc Mower County will join The Arc’s national network, Autism Now, individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), their families and friends, and advocates across the country in raising awareness about ASD.

The goal of the month is simple: Empower people with ASD with information and resources they need to live their lives to the fullest potential while raising public awareness.  Autism should be accepted — in the workplace, in social settings, in schools — in every aspect of life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 68 children may be impacted by autism spectrum disorders, so most people know someone with autism or someone who has a family member or friend with autism. Since this disorder is a spectrum and not everyone with a diagnosis of ASD “appears” to have autism, you may know someone on the spectrum and not even realize it.

Throughout this year’s Autism Acceptance month, The Arc is integrating our programs to showcase how people on the spectrum are learning to travel, to live a healthy life, to be employed within their community, and to learn their rights through The Arc’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability.

That’s why it’s important for people to see through the myths and misinformation and understand what having an ASD really means. The Autism Now Center exists to weed through the volumes of information out there and provide high-quality, vetted resources and information to people with autism and other developmental disabilities, their family, friends, colleagues, teachers, employers and others.

 Upcoming Events

•Spring Formal Dinner and Dance: 4:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 10. Dinner and Dance — $15 per member/staff, dance only —$4 per member. This event is a semi-formal event and everyone is asked to dress accordingly. Dinner catered By Hy-Vee, dance, prizes, grand march, coronation of king and queen and new in 2015 — photo booth. Nominations for king and queen will be accepted at The Center until March 27. Registration Form is available online at www.thearcmc.org. Registration deadline is Tuesday, April 7. Please complete only one form per household.  Payment must accompany this form or it will not be accepted.

•Group Music Therapy for Youth: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 16.

There is no charge to attend, however pre-registration is required. Registration deadline is Tuesday, April 14. Register by calling The Arc Mower County at (507) 433-8994 or email jamey@thearcmc.org. This group is for children aged 12-18 and will focus on skills development involving socialization, communication, attention, and executive function training. We’ll be working on skills such as social interactions with peers, making decisions, planning, and organizing, all while playing fun music games middle school and high school kids will enjoy. The activities involve anything from interacting with partners, to playing many kinds of percussion instruments with the whole group. This class is instructed by: Jenny M. Kruse, MA, NMT, MT-BC, Neurologic Music Therapist, Fellow, Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy