Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, with Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero and House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, poses for a photo with educators, advocates and other community members after the signing of a proclamation designating April as Autism Awareness Month at the Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center on Monday, April 1.
THE Autism Society of the CNMI, the Disability Network Partners, and 23 Unique Pieces in Different Colors CNMI, in collaboration with the Office of the Governor, designated April as Autism Awareness Month on Monday, April 1, at the multi-purpose center.
Other CNMI officials and community members were also present to witness the proclamation signing.
Clarissa Arriola, president of the Autism Society of the CNMI, said the month is dedicated to “[uniting] in a commitment to raise awareness and to promote inclusiveness for individuals with autism and their families.”
Arriola said the CNMI is working to be more inclusive of people with autism, adding that it “takes a village to raise a child.”
“For parents and children on the autism spectrum our village sometimes seems small,” she added. “We may feel that our family and friends withdraw from us because understanding our child’s needs can be challenging.”
She hopes that the community will remember that children with autism “need our village.”
“Let us extend our hands in friendship and support, and let us embrace our differences with compassion and empathy,” Arriola said.
She told the media that one specific way CNMI leaders can support students with autism in the Public School System is to increase the number of professional therapists.
“PSS has very prominent and strong-willed employees; however the number of student to therapist ratio is very, very high and so a lot of times we have to seek online services,” Arriola said.
There is a community need for occupational and speech therapists, she added.
Activities
Several activities are scheduled for April.
• On April 6 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Walk for Autism will be held at American Memorial Park.
• A learning session titled “Understanding the IEP” or individual education plan is scheduled to take place in the Sunflower Room of the Saipan World Resort from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 11.
• Ride for Autism is scheduled for April 13. More details will be announced soon.
• Family Fun Day at Hopwood Middle School from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 27.
• Quiz Nite from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. also on April 27, at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.
