Autism Sunday, also known as the International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger Syndrome, is an event observed annually on the second Sunday of February.

History

Autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

Sunday was first held in 2002 during Autism Awareness Year in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was initiated by parents and carers

Ivan Corea Hector Vernon Ivan Seneviratne Corea (Sinhala language, Sinhala: හෙක්ටර් වර්නන් අයිවන් සෙනෙවිරත්න කොරයා) was a priest of the Church of Ceylon. Early life Ivan Corea was bor ...

and Charika Corea, founders of the

Autism Awareness Campaign UK The Autism Awareness Campaign – United Kingdom was launched in 2000 by British parents and carers Ivan Corea and his wife Charika Corea in response to the autism diagnosis of their son, Charin. Objectives According to their website, Autism Awa ...

. Parents of Charin, a teenager with

autism spectrum disorder Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...

and a

communication disorder A communication disorder is any disorder that affects an individual's ability to Speech perception, comprehend, detect, or apply language and speech to engage in dialogue effectively with others. This also encompasses deficiencies in verbal and N ...

, urged leaders of religious organisations, churches, community groups and world leaders around the globe to speak up for people with autism spectrum disorders. The first service for autism was held in February 2002 at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

in London. Former Education Ministers, peers from the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, celebrities, writers, broadcasters, and the media joined children and people at St Paul's Cathedral to pray for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders, as well as their parents and caregivers. In 2008, the first

Early day motion In the Westminster parliamentary system, an early day motion (EDM) is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by a member of Parliament, which the Government (in charge of parliamentary business) has not yet scheduled for debate. Hi ...

on Autism Sunday was tabled in the House of Commons, in the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

. 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 spectrum disorders in local communities, and urges church leaders and community groups of all denominations to engage with people with autism spectrum disorders. The British Prime Minister,

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

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 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 Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

and

Asperger's syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and non ...

. Will the Leader of the House take this as a bid as 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 task force and a well resourced plan for the future." In reply, the Leader of the Commons,

Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman, Baroness Harman, (born 30 July 1950), is a British politician and solicitor who served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Chair of the Labour Party (UK), Chair of the Labour Pa ...

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 In relation to public services, the voluntary sector is the realm of social activity undertaken by non-governmental, not for profit organizations. This sector is also called the third sector (in contrast to the public sector and the private sec ...

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

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. 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 BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

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 Richard Duane Warren (born January 28, 1954) is an American evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical Baptists, Baptist megachurch in Lake Forest, California. Since 2022, he serves as execut ...

Saddleback Church Saddleback Church is an Evangelicalism, evangelical, non-denominational Christian Multi-site church, multi-site megachurch based in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of Amer ...

, have pledged to pray for over 60 million people with autism spectrum disorders on Autism Sunday. Support came from the

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

in the United Kingdom, Right Reverend

Richard Chartres Richard John Carew Chartres, Baron Chartres, , FBS (; born 11 July 1947) is a retired senior bishop of the Church of England. Chartres served as area Bishop of Stepney from 1992 to 1995 and Bishop of London from 1995 to 2017. He was sworn of ...

. The organizers 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 US President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

to address the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in February 2011. He met

and Charika Corea, the Founders of Autism Sunday in the UK, prior to his departure to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

They presented him with his first-ever

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 organized an Autism Sunday

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

Storm to mark Autism Sunday 2011 - to celebrate the lives of all people with autism. In 2022, a commemorative event has been planned in India.

References

External links

Autism Sunday Official WebsiteAutism Sunday BlogAutism Sunday WebsiteAutism Sunday - Act on Autism Church Urged - Church Times UK FeaturePoem Video made by Janice L. Cox for UK Autism Foundation London Service for Autism Sunday
{{Autism resources Autism activism Culture of the United Kingdom February observances Sunday observances Disability observances Recurring events established in 2002 2002 establishments in the United Kingdom Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month) Health awareness days

History

Debate in the House of Commons

International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger Syndrome

See also

References

External links