Autism activists run to shed a light on disorder

AMMAN — Parents of autistic children and supporters arranged on Tuesday a walk to raise awareness in autism.

Run Jordan, an NGO that supports philanthropic activities through staging charity runs, organised the event in partnership with Concept Plus Centre to mark the Autism Awareness Day, under the patronage of Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji. 

Under the slogan #Lets_unite_for_them, the walk was attended by parents of autistic children, diplomats and local residents supporting autism awareness, according to a statement by Run Jordan.      

The organisation’s general manager, Lina El Kurd was quoted as saying: “By partnering with CPC, we are promoting autism awareness which, in turn, leads to early diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of autism — a disorder that affects an estimated 70 million people worldwide.”

According to web sources, autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that involves abnormal development and function of the brain. 

People with autism show decreased social communication skills and restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviors or interests.

There are no statistics for autism in Jordan and no government-funded centres to deal with these cases.

World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognised day on the 2nd of April every year, encouraging member states of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about children with autism throughout the world. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/139.