Each April, Autism Speaks celebrates World Autism Month by sharing the amazing and unique stories of the autism community, working to increase understanding and acceptance and creating a world where all people with autism can reach their full potential.

In this edition of E-Speaks, meet Eileen and Charlie, a young mom and her son whose journey led to an autism diagnosis for them both. Read how a young author is surpassing her own expectations and helping other people on the spectrum. Get a first look at the World Health Organization's Caregiver Skills Training (CST) program, supported by Autism Speaks, and learn how one family utilized the program to make a monumental breakthrough.

Finally, we invite you to take a minute to watch our own story of commitment, achievement and goals for the future. A story that belongs to all of us and is only possible because of your compassionate and generous support.

World Autism Month feature: Meet Eileen and Charlie

Charlie's diagnosis at 22 months not only provided answers to many questions Eileen had about her oldest child, but also offered a better understanding of herself and her own autism journey. See their story here. You can also follow us on TikTok and watch more content from all our featured profiles this month! Get a sneak peek of our upcoming feature profiles.

Meet Kristina D: 35 years young and rising to her full potential

Kristina never thought she would find a meaningful career working with people on the spectrum. She certainly never thought anybody would be interested in reading a book about her life. But today, at 35, this Arizona resident is a published author, conquering many of her goals and continuing to carve new paths forward as she strives to reach her full potential.

Learn the skills you need to support your child's growth and development

Raising a child with autism and teaching them the skills they need to be successful in life can be challenging for families without access to resources. At no cost to families, the WHO CST program, supported by Autism Speaks, teaches parents and caregivers the day-to-day skills they need to help their children reach their full potential. In this blog post, read how Maria and her son Nazareno, age 5, benefited from the CST program. View our website or listen to a podcast about how the virtual and in-person CST program can help you build your child's communication, engagement, positive behavior, daily living skills and more.

This World Autism Month, lead with kindness

The Autism Speaks Kindness Campaign is a great way to celebrate World Autism Month by encouraging acceptance, understanding and inclusion with daily acts of kindness. Click here to learn how to participate in our Kindness Campaigns in your daily life, school and work. Your commitment to kindness gets us one step closer to creating a more understanding and inclusive world for people with autism.

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