World Autism Awareness Day 2018: 13 Quotes Of Hope To Share

April 2 is marked as World Autism Awareness Day, adopted by the United Nations in 2007 to highlight the growing health crisis globally. Every year, Autism Speaks — an advocacy organization in the U.S. founded in 2005 — celebrates with the campaign "Light It Up Blue."

On this day, thousands of iconic landmarks and buildings around the world, including the White House, join the campaign by lighting up in blue.

Here are some quotes of hope and other facts to share on this day to raise awareness:

1. “Growth is never by mere chance. It is a result of forces working together” — Autism Treatment Center of America

2. "Mild autism can give you a genius like Einstein. If you have severe autism, you could remain nonverbal. You don't want people to be on the severe end of the spectrum. But if you got rid of all the autism genetics, you wouldn't have science or art. All you would have is a bunch of social 'yak yaks.'" — Temple Grandin

3. “It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a child with autism to raise the consciousness of the village.” — Coach Elaine Hall

4. "Autism doesn't have to define a person. Artists with autism are like anyone else: They define themselves through hard work and individuality." —Adrienne Bailon

5. “Autism offers a chance for us to glimpse an awe-filled vision of the world that might otherwise pass us by.” — Dr. Colin Zimbleman

6. "Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in our nation." — Mary Bono

7. "What is important is to treat everyone like an individual and learning not to generalize autism. With autism, people make assumptions, but it's very broad, and everyone's so different. You have to treat each person as an individual." — Nikki Reed

8. “Children with autism are colorful — they are often beautiful, and like the rainbow, they stand out.” — Adele Devine

9. "The risks are far greater to your child of not getting immunized than any kind of speculative potential relationship between the vaccine and the development of autism." — Irwin Redlener

10. “The way we choose to see the world creates the world we see” — Barry Neil Kaufman

11. ”A child with autism is not ignoring you, they are simply waiting for you to enter their world.” — Autism Treatment Center of America

12. “You cannot save your child from their own feelings of discomfort that they are going to feel as they grow. Think of your job as a parent as helping know that they cannot necessarily control what the world brings them; but they can choose how they are going to feel about it.” — Kate C. Wilde

13. "Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by social withdrawal, by repetitive behaviors and by some kind of focal attention in its classic form. Basically, it's an inability to relate to others." — Harvey V. Fineberg