Children with autism enjoy day of bowling

In honor of autism awareness month the Autism Support of Imperial County held a special bowling event for children with autism and youth.

Creating an inclusive environment for children with autism is what today and the month of April is all about.

“A lot of the time with autistic children they’re not included in a lot of the events at school, so this gives them an opportunity to come out and act like a kid,” said warden Raymond Madden, of Centinela State Prison.

The autism support group funds these type of events to help foster a supportive community for autistic kids and their families.

“Those with autism to come out and bowl during spring break, it’s usually a lot of downtime, they tend to stay at home and be amongst themselves,” said James Gonzalez, president of Autism Support of Imperial County.

“It brings socialization, which is very hard with children with autism,” said Gonzalez.

The Centers for Disease Control and prevention estimates one in every sixty-eight children born are diagnosed with autism.

“Five in every six diagnosed are boys, so that’s why you see the puzzle piece blue,” says Gonzalez.

The El Centro Firefighters Association is doing their part by helping create safer environments for people with autism.

“Being that they are at different levels of the spectrum, we want to understand where they are,” said Matt Garcia, from the El Centro Firefighters Association.

“We encounter them on a daily basis on emergency calls, so just to understand what environment they are used to,” said Garcia.

Araceli Martinez says events like this help the community learn about acceptance and realize how many kids around them are living with autism.