April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, a nationwide effort to promote improved understanding and acceptance of people diagnosed with autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates autism’s prevalence as 1 in 59 children in the United States—1 in 37 boys and 1 in 151 girls. A lifelong condition, autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, impacts the autistic individual and their families in many ways.
On this Fight Back episode, we join the autism awareness effort with our special guest Assemblywoman Suzette Martinez Valladares. Suzette is a Latina businesswoman and educator who specializes in early childhood education and advocacy, and served special needs children as the former Executive Director of Southern California Autism Speaks. Suzette currently represents the 38th Assembly District in the California Legislature.
Suzette will help us understand ASD, the importance of early diagnosis, how the parent-doctor and parent-teacher relationships play a huge role in diagnosis, the rights that autistic children have in the classroom, and much more.