Autism is personal for us at Quilt Culture. I have 3 grandchildren, 2 of which are nonverbal with Autism. It is difficult to describe the challenges families with Autism face on a daily basis. My daughter advocates for her children to receive the best education available and gives them an excellent quality of life. As a grandparent it is difficult to know exactly how to support your child that is raising children with Autism. My quilt shop likes to help those in need and I asked my daughter if there was a way I could help her children and the Autism community. My daughter said that they do a lot of sensory activities at school that are messy and their clothes come home soiled or stained almost every week. I thought, “wouldn’t it be nice if they had a way to protect their clothes”. I own a quilt shop and I felt this was something I could do that would help not only my family but every family with a child with special needs. Aprons for Autism was born. Below are some statistics about autism and the rate at which it is growing and impacting our families worldwide.

A new study published in Autism Research shows that about 100 in 10,000 (or 1 in 100) children around the world are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is an increase from the 2012 global prevalence report which found that 62 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with Autism.

About 1 in 44 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States according to the CDC. Autism prevalence has increased 178% since 2000.

School activities that may be particularly challenging for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), previously referred to as Asperger's disorder, include social interactions, noisy or disordered environments, intense sensory stimulation, and changes in expected routines. Sensory activities assist children on the spectrum and some of those include: finger painting and footprint painting, make your own slime, scented playdough, mud kitchen, make your own musical instruments, create a sensory ocean, painting with food, water beads.

Many of these activities can soak and stain clothes giving the child an unkept appearance and creating more work for the parents and caretakers of these children. In an effort to help with this Quilt Culture is launching Aprons for Autism. This program will provide aprons to each special needs child to assist them with their activities while keeping their clothes cleaner thereby helping their parents with the cleanliness and longevity of their child’s clothing. It's a small thing that can make a big impact in the life of a family with a child with Autism.

Our goal for the first year is to make and distribute 100,000 aprons, which seems like a lot but there are currently 80 million people in the world with autism, about 1% of the population. The need is great and you can help with a simple act of kindness. We know that you love sewing and creating and we know that you love making things with your friends and organizations that you are a part of. We encourage you to grow this movement by hosting sew ins together and encourage local organizations to reach out and request aprons for their students and children with autism.