World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day (observed annually on 2 April) that encourages

member states A member state is a state that is a member of an international organization or of a federation or confederation. Since the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) include some members that are not sovereign states ...

of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

to take measures to raise global awareness of

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 ...

, promote the acceptance, appreciation and inclusion of autistic individuals and recognize such individuals' local and global contributions. It was designated by the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

resolution (A/RES/62/139), passed in council on 1 November 2007, and adopted on 18 December 2007. It was proposed by Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, the United Nations Representative from

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, and supported by all member states. This resolution was passed and adopted without a vote in the UN General Assembly, mainly as a supplement to previous UN initiatives to improve

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

. World Autism Day is one of only seven official health-specific UN Days. The terms "Autism Awareness Day" and "Autism Awareness Month" are sometimes contested by autism rights activists, who claim that they feed into

ableism Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism (British English), anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against physically or mentally disabled people. Ableism characterizes people as they a ...

against autistic people. Such groups, including the

Autistic Self Advocacy Network The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, nonprofit advocacy organization run by and for autistic individuals. ASAN advocates for the inclusion of autistic people in decisions that affect them, inc ...

(ASAN), advocate using the term Autism Acceptance Day as a counter-celebration for both events under the belief that it promotes overcoming anti-autistic prejudice rather than simply increasing awareness of autism. Alternatively,

Autistic Pride Day Autistic Pride Day is a pride List of minor secular observances#June, celebration for autistic people held annually on June 18. Societal and cultural aspects of autism#Autistic pride, Autistic pride recognises the importance of pride for autist ...

, a pride celebration organized by and for autistic people, is held yearly on 18 June.

Components

The original resolution had four main components: * The establishment of the second day of April as World Autism Awareness Day, beginning in 2008. * Invitation to Member States and other relevant organizations to the UN or the international societal system, including

non-governmental organizations A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

and the

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The private sector employs most of the workfo ...

, to create initiatives to raise public

awareness In philosophy and psychology, awareness is the perception or knowledge of something. The concept is often synonymous with consciousness. However, one can be aware of something without being explicitly conscious of it, such as in the case of bli ...

of autism. * Encourages Member States to raise awareness of

on all levels in society. * Asks the

UN Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

to deliver this message to member states and all other UN organizations.

Themes

As of 2012, each World Autism Awareness Day has focused on a specific theme determined by the UN. * 2012: "Launch of Official UN "Awareness Raising" Stamp" * 2013: "Celebrating the ability within the disability of autism" * 2014: "Opening Doors to

Inclusive Education Inclusion in education refers to including all students to equal access to equal opportunities of education and learning, and is distinct from educational equality or educational equity. It arose in the context of special education with an in ...

" * 2015: "Employment: The Autism Advantage" * 2016: "Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and

Neurodiversity The neurodiversity paradigm is a framework for understanding human brain function that considers the diversity within sensory processing, Motor skill, motor abilities, Social anxiety, social comfort, cognition, and Attention, focus as neurobiol ...

" * 2017: "Toward

Autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

and

Self-Determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

" *2018: " Empowering Women and Girls with Autism" * 2019: " Assistive Technologies, Active Participation" *2020: "The Transition to Adulthood" *2021: "

Inclusion Inclusion or Include may refer to: Sociology * Social inclusion, action taken to support people of different backgrounds sharing life together. ** Inclusion (disability rights), promotion of people with disabilities sharing various aspects of lif ...

in the Workplace" *2022: "Inclusive Quality Education for All" *2023: "Transforming the narrative: Contributions at home, at work, in the arts and in

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an or ...

making" *2024: "Moving from Surviving to Thriving: Autistic individuals share regional perspectives" *2025: "Advancing Neurodiversity and the UN

Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

(SDGs)"

Onesie Wednesday

In 2014, World Autism Awareness Day coincided with Onesie Wednesday, a day created by the

National Autistic Society The National Autistic Society is a charity for autistic people and their families in the United Kingdom. Since 1962, the National Autistic Society has been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, ser ...

to encourage people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to show their support for autistic people. By wearing a onesie or

pajamas Pajamas (American English) or pyjamas ( Commonwealth English), sometimes colloquially shortened to PJs, jammies, jim-jams, or in South Asia, night suits, are several related types of clothing worn as nightwear or while lounging. Pajamas are ...

, participants are saying, "It's all right to be different".

Outcomes in the United States

In a 2015 presidential proclamation, President

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. Ob ...

highlighted some of the initiatives that the U.S. government was taking to protect the rights of autistic people and bring awareness to the disorder. He highlighted things like The

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

, which prohibits health insurance companies from denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition such as autism. He also pointed out the Autism CARES Act of 2014, which provides higher-level training to those who provide support to autistic people. On April 2, 2025, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

proclaimed the day in the United States. ASAN criticized Trump's proclamation for not stressing acceptance, not addressing autistic people directly, focusing only on children, claiming there had been "a staggering increase" in autism prevalence (without discussing the role of expanded diagnostic standards and access) and whitewashing administration policies hostile to autistic people.

References

{{authority control Recurring events established in 2007 April observances Autism activism Disability observances Health awareness days United Nations days Neurodiversity

Components

Themes

Onesie Wednesday

Outcomes in the United States

See also

References