Chairman Diaz to host Autism Awareness Month event

MIAMI-DADE – Miami-Dade County Commission Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz, along with the Dan Marino Foundation, Autism Speaks, and the South Florida Autism Charter School, will host an Autism Awareness Month event on Friday, April 16 at 11 a.m. in the lobby of the Stephen P. Clark Center (SPCC), 111 NW 1st St.

Vice Chairman Oliver G. Gilbert III and Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who both have children with autism, will share their experiences living with someone with autism and special challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event also will feature an autism exhibit created by Miami Urban Contemporary Experience that will consist of a multicolored 3D block display spelling out the word autism and a “Tree of Knowledge” mural with giant leaves highlighting facts about autism. Members of the Board of County Commissioners attending the event will be invited to write the name of someone they know with autism on an interactive leaf and add it to the tree.

Chairman Diaz sponsored the 2009 County Commission resolution that declared April as Autism Awareness Month in Miami-Dade County to increase awareness about autism and treatment and encourage early testing for children. He has hosted an annual autism awareness event in the SPCC lobby every year since then except for last year, when the event was canceled due to COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that impairs communication skills and social abilities. There is no known cause or cure for autism, which is estimated to affect 1 out of every 59 children born in the United States.