What to know
April is Autism Acceptance Month. This partner toolkit provides free resources, including key messages, social media content, and links to educational materials you can use in April and throughout the year.
Partner with us
Join us as an Autism Acceptance Month partner by using your voice and platforms to spread the messages of awareness, inclusion, and connecting people to support services and one another. This partner toolkit provides free resources, including key messages, social media content, and links to educational materials. You can share these resources with your friends, family, colleagues, and partners. Examples of how to get involved include
- Posting autism acceptance messages and using the hashtags #CelebrateDifferences and, in April, #AutismAcceptanceMonth and #AutismAwarenessMonth on social media.
- Sharing digital content, web features, and materials online.
- Using the sample articles to share autism information with communities and healthcare providers in newsletters, emails, and other partner communications.
- Educating parents, educators, and healthcare providers at meetings, health fairs, conferences, and other events.
April is Autism Acceptance Month
Join us as we raise awareness to promote autism acceptance, to celebrate each individual's unique differences, and to foster inclusivity and connectedness. It's a time to renew our commitment to honor the unique perspectives of people living with autism and support children with autism and their families, helping each child reach their full potential.
Hashtags: #CelebrateDifferences #AutismAcceptanceMonth #AutismAwarenessMonth
Digital materials and resources
Findings from CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network include new patterns in prevalence by race/ethnicity and also show impacts of COVID-19 on early evaluation and identification of autism. Please see below for the latest releases and digital materials and resources to bring greater awareness to autism and early identification and support services.
- MMWR: Autism Among 8-year-old Children
- This scientific journal article reports the prevalence and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years in 11 ADDM Network sites in 2020.
- MMWR: Autism Among 4-year-old Children
- This scientific journal article reports the early identification of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 4 years in 11 ADDM Network sites in 2020.
- 2023 Community Report on Autism
- This resource is written in a nontechnical format and highlights the ADDM Network's most recent findings on autism in 8-year-old and 4-year-old children for a less scientific audience. It includes an executive summary, key findings, frequently asked questions, spotlights on key findings, how to use the findings, data visualizations, individual network site snapshots, a glossary, and references.
- Spanish translation: Informe Comunitario del 2023 sobre el Autismo
- Higher Autism Prevalence and COVID-19 Disruptions
- This feature article provides key messages from the latest ADDM data release.
- Autism Materials and Resources from CDC
- This feature article highlights CDC programs and latest releases in recognition of Autism Acceptance Month.
- Easy-Read Summary
- This summary takes the ADDM Network's most recent findings on autism in 8-year-old and 4-year-old children and makes them easier to read.
- 2020 ADDM Network Surveillance Summary Supplemental Slides
- These PowerPoint slides can be used by partners to present CDC's latest data from the ADDM Network.
- Autism Data Visualization Tool
- This web-based platform provides an in-depth look at autism prevalence estimates by state.
- Educational Resources: CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early.
- This program provides free resources, in English and Spanish, for monitoring children's development. The program offers milestone checklists and the Milestone Tracker mobile app to help parents track their child's development and share the information with their healthcare providers.
Sample social media content
Looking for content to encourage your networks to get involved in Autism Acceptance Month? We've got you covered. Use these messages, graphics, and posts for X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. Our social media toolkit for partners highlights CDC's most up-to-date data, materials, and resources. Use #CelebrateDifferences, #AutismAcceptanceMonth, and #AutismAwarenessMonth to join the conversation, and tag us at @CDC_NCBDDD on X (formerly Twitter).
X (formerly Twitter)
Alt Text: A diverse group of children smiling as they stand closely together in a circle staring downward. Text overlay reads, “cdc dot gov slash Autism.”
Sample X (formerly Twitter) Post
This #AutismAcceptanceMonth, @CDC_NCBDDD encourages awareness, inclusion, and connection to support services and one another. Learn more about our work in understanding #Autism in children:http://bit.ly/3TC6vtk
#CelebrateDifferences #AutismAwarenessMonth
X (formerly Twitter)
Alt text: A child sitting on the ground smiling as friends in the background play with chalk on pavement. Text overlay reads, "1 in 36 8-year-old children living in ADDM Network sites asterisk were identified with ASD in 2020." Subtext reads, "Asterisk 11 U.S. Communities."
Sample X (formerly Twitter) Posts
Post 1
Join us for #AutismAcceptanceMonth and visit CDC's website to learn more about the latest in early identification and support:http://bit.ly/3n77WUl
#AutismAcceptanceMonth #Autism
Post 2
1 in 36 children were identified with #Autism in 2020. In recognition of #AutismAcceptanceMonth, learn more about the latest findings and resources to help with early identification:http://bit.ly/3Z9faon
#AutismAcceptanceMonth
Video link: "One Minute Autism Update and The Role Healthcare Providers Can Play" https://youtu.be/lbbbC7_uzO8
Sample LinkedIn Post
Video link: "One Minute Autism Update and Information for Parents and Caregivers" https://youtu.be/J3R2ItM48-k
Sample LinkedIn Post
Alt text: Closeup of children's hands placed one on top of the other showing togetherness and unity among a diverse group of young children. Text overlay reads, "ADDM Network Latest Data Release." Additional overlayed text reads, "cdc dot gov slash Autism."
Sample Facebook Post
Alt text: A diverse group of three young children reading a book together on the floor of a library. Text overlay reads, "ADDM Network Latest Data Release." Additional overlayed text reads, "cdc dot gov slash Autism."
Sample Facebook Post
Alt text: A laptop with data visualization on the screen showing trends in autism among racial and ethnic groups. Text overlay reads, "For the first time, Autism was more common among children from racial and ethnic minority groups than among White children." Additional overlayed text reads, "ADDM Network Latest Data Release. cdc dot gov slash Autism."
Sample Instagram Post
Interested in learning more about #Autism? CDC's Autism Data Visualization Tool lets users view and download data about the number and characteristics of children with autism in the US. Tap the link in our bio to explore the data.http://bit.ly/3TCrCfd
#DataViz #AutismAwarenessMonth
Alt text: A person holding a smartphone that is displaying information from CDC's Milestone Tracker app. Text overlay reads, "cdc dot gov slash ActEarly."
Sample Instagram Post
Parents: Use CDC's free early identification resources to monitor your child's development and share any concerns with your child's provider. Tap the link in our bio to get the mobile app and other free resources.http://bit.ly/3TzCrOU
#ChildDevelopment #ActEarly