Student initiates autism awareness campaign

Andrew Cernius doesn’t quite understand the educational campaign that his sister Ariana is launching on his behalf. The Lincoln Elementary School fifth-grader is autistic and has only a limited grasp of the outside world ? or, at least, a limited way of communicating with it.

“We’ve told him about it,” said Ariana, 14, a freshman at Newport Harbor High School. “We’ve tried to explain it to him. He doesn’t really understand. He doesn’t have the language to comprehend what’s going on.”

If Ariana’s project succeeds, though, Andrew ? and many other autistic children ? may feel its effects before long. After spring break, Ariana plans to hand out fliers at Newport Harbor detailing facts about the disorder, make presentations to other student clubs, and sell $1 bracelets to fund future campaigns on behalf of autism.

Ariana, who conceived the project on her own, is working on it with the Ambassadors Club, a campus organization dedicated to promoting tolerance and understanding. Joe Robinson, who teaches Ariana in his art history class, advises the club and enlisted its members for the autism project.

“Our goal is to promote unity and diversity among different people on campus, so it was a perfect match for us,” said Robinson, who co-founded the club 12 years ago.

In recent years, autism has remained stubbornly in the national spotlight, as more and more children have been diagnosed with it. While there are many types of autism, the disorder usually manifests itself through repetitive behaviors, overreactions to stimuli and difficulties in communicating.

Both Ariana and Ambassadors Club President Connor Gerson have experience dealing with autism ? Ariana through her brother and two cousins, Connor through acquaintances. Ariana said she learned early in life the difficulties that most autistic people publicly suffer.

“When I was younger, I used to go out in public with my brother and people used to stare because they didn’t know what autism was,” she said.

“People think it’s just a weird kid,” added Connor, 18, a senior.

The Autism Society of America celebrates April as Autism Awareness Month, and in her flier and PowerPoint presentation, Ariana outlined some surprising facts: According to a major study, one in 166 people today has autism, and 80% of its sufferers are under the age of 17.

The bracelets that Ariana made to sell on campus feature a design of multicolored, interlocking puzzle pieces ? a metaphor for the condition’s elusive qualities.

“Nobody knows the cause, nobody knows the cure, and the puzzle represents the mystery,” she said. dpt.10-ariana-CPhotoInfo931PQ1D920060410ixfhs2ncJAMIE FLANAGAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Newport Harbor High School freshman Ariana Cernius and senior Connor Gerson model the bracelets they will be selling on campus to raise awareness about autism.