Autism Sunday
Encyclopedia
Autism Sunday, also known as the International Day of Prayer for Autism
and Asperger syndrome
, is observed annually on the second Sunday of February.
. It was initiated by parents and carers Ivan and Charika Corea, founders of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK
. Parents of Charin, a teenager with autism spectrum disorder and a communication disorder, they urged leaders of religious organisations, churches, community groups and world leaders around the globe to speak up for people with autism and Asperger syndrome. What started as a small acorn of an idea in their home has turned into a huge international event. Autism Sunday is now celebrated across the world in many countries.
The first service for autism was held in February 2002 at St Paul's Cathedral
in London. Former Education Ministers, peers from the House of Lords
, celebrities, writers, broadcasters, and the media joined children and people at St Paul's Cathedral to pray for children and adults with autism and Asperger syndrome, as well as their parents and caregivers.
In 2008, the first Early Day Motion
on Autism Sunday was tabled in the House of Commons, in the Palace of Westminster
. The motion, EDM 874, was sponsored by David Drew MP and signed by 71 members of Parliament. It calls on the Government to work with all faith communities in order to reach out to parents, caregivers and people with autism and Asperger syndrome in local communities; and urges church leaders and community groups of all denominations to engage with people with autism and Asperger syndrome. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron
extended his personal support for Autism Sunday.
MP mentioned the day and called for action stating that the 'Churches and other religious organisations will be supporting an international day of prayer for those with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Will the Leader of the House take this as a bid for a topical debate on the issue, which affects hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country?The conditions are under-recognised and under-resourced and they badly need a national strategy, a national taskforce and a well resourced plan for the future.'
In reply, the Leader of the Commons,(at the time) Harriet Harman
MP said: 'For many years, families have struggled to support and care for children with autism, often to a great extent on their own and without the proper back-up of integrated services. There is now a great deal more awareness of the difficulties of autism and Asperger’s syndrome, and a recognition of the importance of early diagnosis and integrated services. I congratulate the Churches on picking this for an international day of prayer, and we would like to work with the Churches, local government and the voluntary sector
to ensure that families with a family member who develops autism or Asperger’s have the backing that they need in future.'
and Asia
. The credit crunch and the global recession which hit many countries in 2008-2009 also affected the Autism Community. In the UK, people were concerned about the cuts to disability benefits and cuts to public services. Homes were re-possessed during the economic downturn and some families below the poverty line had to choose between heating and eating.
World church leaders have been supporting Autism Sunday. Pope Benedict XVI
told the organisers that he would be praying for the autism community on Autism Sunday. Some of the largest churches in the United States, including Rick Warren
's Saddleback Church
, have pledged to pray for over 60 million people with autism and Asperger syndrome on Autism Sunday. Support came from the Bishop of London
in the United Kingdom, Rt.Rev.Richard Chartres
.
The organisers have urged parents, carers and the worldwide Autism Community to use Autism Sunday as a platform to lobby and campaign on the serious issues. Support for Autism Sunday 2011 came from the Chilean Miner, Jose Henriquez, the 24th miner to be rescued from the San Jose mine. Henriquez was invited by U.S. President Barack Obama
to address the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in February 2011. He met Ivan and Charika Corea, the Founders of Autism Sunday in the UK, prior to his departure to Washington, D.C.
They presented him with his first ever autism
awareness ribbon.The news of the presentation was relayed by the media in Chile. Jose Henriquez released a special message in support of Autism Sunday 2011.
Campaigners around the world organised an Autism Sunday Twitter
Storm to mark Autism Sunday 2011 - to celebrate the lives of all people with autism.
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
, is observed annually on the second Sunday of February.
History
Autism Sunday was first held in 2002 during Autism Awareness Year in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was initiated by parents and carers Ivan and Charika Corea, founders of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK
Autism Awareness Campaign UK
The Autism Awareness Campaign – United Kingdom was launched in 2000 by Ivan and Charika Corea in response to the autism diagnosis of their son, Charin.-Objectives:...
. Parents of Charin, a teenager with autism spectrum disorder and a communication disorder, they urged leaders of religious organisations, churches, community groups and world leaders around the globe to speak up for people with autism and Asperger syndrome. What started as a small acorn of an idea in their home has turned into a huge international event. Autism Sunday is now celebrated across the world in many countries.
The first service for autism was held in February 2002 at St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
in London. Former Education Ministers, peers from the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, celebrities, writers, broadcasters, and the media joined children and people at St Paul's Cathedral to pray for children and adults with autism and Asperger syndrome, as well as their parents and caregivers.
In 2008, the first Early Day Motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
on Autism Sunday was tabled in the House of Commons, in the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. The motion, EDM 874, was sponsored by David Drew MP and signed by 71 members of Parliament. It calls on the Government to work with all faith communities in order to reach out to parents, caregivers and people with autism and Asperger syndrome in local communities; and urges church leaders and community groups of all denominations to engage with people with autism and Asperger syndrome. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
extended his personal support for Autism Sunday.
Debate in the House of Commons
Autism Sunday was mentioned in a debate in the House of Commons in the British Parliament. David Taylor (British politician)David Taylor (British politician)
David Leslie Taylor was an English Labour Co-operative politician, who was the Member of Parliament for North West Leicestershire from 1997 until his death in 2009.-Biography:...
MP mentioned the day and called for action stating that the 'Churches and other religious organisations will be supporting an international day of prayer for those with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Will the Leader of the House take this as a bid for a topical debate on the issue, which affects hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country?The conditions are under-recognised and under-resourced and they badly need a national strategy, a national taskforce and a well resourced plan for the future.'
In reply, the Leader of the Commons,(at the time) Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
MP said: 'For many years, families have struggled to support and care for children with autism, often to a great extent on their own and without the proper back-up of integrated services. There is now a great deal more awareness of the difficulties of autism and Asperger’s syndrome, and a recognition of the importance of early diagnosis and integrated services. I congratulate the Churches on picking this for an international day of prayer, and we would like to work with the Churches, local government and the voluntary sector
Voluntary sector
The voluntary sector or community sector is the sphere of social activity undertaken by organizations that are for non-profit and non-governmental. This sector is also called the third sector, in reference to the public sector and the private sector...
to ensure that families with a family member who develops autism or Asperger’s have the backing that they need in future.'
International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger Syndrome
Churches of all denominations around the world now honor the millions of people with autism on Autism Sunday, the International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Organisers estimate there are 60 million people with autism around the world. Campaigners have said that many suffer without proper public services in education, health,specialist speech therapy and respite care in several parts of the world, particularly in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The credit crunch and the global recession which hit many countries in 2008-2009 also affected the Autism Community. In the UK, people were concerned about the cuts to disability benefits and cuts to public services. Homes were re-possessed during the economic downturn and some families below the poverty line had to choose between heating and eating.
World church leaders have been supporting Autism Sunday. Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
told the organisers that he would be praying for the autism community on Autism Sunday. Some of the largest churches in the United States, including Rick Warren
Rick Warren
Richard Duane "Rick" Warren is an American evangelical Christian minister and author. He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States...
's Saddleback Church
Saddleback Church
Saddleback Church is an evangelical Christian megachurch located in Lake Forest, California, situated in southern Orange County, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The church was founded in 1980 by pastor Rick Warren...
, have pledged to pray for over 60 million people with autism and Asperger syndrome on Autism Sunday. Support came from the Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
in the United Kingdom, Rt.Rev.Richard Chartres
Richard Chartres
Richard John Carew Chartres KCVO FSA is the current Bishop of London, a position he has held since 1995. Before this appointment, he was Bishop of Stepney and Gresham Professor of Divinity .-Early life:...
.
The organisers have urged parents, carers and the worldwide Autism Community to use Autism Sunday as a platform to lobby and campaign on the serious issues. Support for Autism Sunday 2011 came from the Chilean Miner, Jose Henriquez, the 24th miner to be rescued from the San Jose mine. Henriquez was invited by U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to address the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in February 2011. He met Ivan and Charika Corea, the Founders of Autism Sunday in the UK, prior to his departure to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
They presented him with his first ever autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
awareness ribbon.The news of the presentation was relayed by the media in Chile. Jose Henriquez released a special message in support of Autism Sunday 2011.
Campaigners around the world organised an Autism Sunday Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
Storm to mark Autism Sunday 2011 - to celebrate the lives of all people with autism.
External links
- Autism Sunday Official Website
- Autism Sunday Blog
- Autism Sunday Website
- Coping With A Thunderbolt - Church Times
- Autism Sunday - Act on Autism Church Urged - Church Times UK Feature
- Key Leaders Back Autism Sunday - Medical News Today
- Praying for a time when every Sunday is Autism Sunday - About.Com Special Needs Children
- Poem Video made by Janice L. Cox for UK Autism Foundation London Service for Autism Sunday
- US News report on Television on Autism Sunday (22 News)
- Autism Sunday (International Day of Prayer for Autism) Facebook Page