Recognizing April 2025 as Autism Acceptance Month in the City of Philadelphia and commending the work of advocates who are people living with autism and who are breaking down barriers to create a truly inclusive society.

Recognizing April 2025 as Autism Acceptance Month in the City of Philadelphia and commending the work of advocates who are people living with autism and who are breaking down barriers to create a truly inclusive society. WHEREAS, April is National Autism Acceptance month, a time to educate our communities about autism acceptance, also known as autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a result of natural variations in the human brain, rather than a disease cured. The movement advocates for several goals, including greater acceptance of autistic traits and behaviors: services that focus on improving quality of life and well-being, rather than suppressing and masking of autistic traits, or imitations of behaviors of neurotypical peers; and WHEREAS the 2014 Pennsylvania Autism Census Update provided by ASERT (Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training) and funded by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) found that over 55,000 children and adults in PA with autism are receiving services. Data has shown that between 2009 and 2014, there was an 181% overall increase in the number of individuals with autism receiving services, and a 334% increase in adults 21+, making adults the fastest growing group; and WHEREAS the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network data indicated that, in 2020, about 1 in 36 (2.8%) 8-year-old children were identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) across the United States; yet another indic…