Teen Choice Awards & Autism Awareness
A few days ago I turned on (the TV t0) the Teen Choice Awards. Clueless as to who many of the stars were, I watched intently hoping to get caught up with the pulse of today’s young (tween and teen) population. I am still a bit confused by the popularity of some of the presenters, but I couldn’t deny them all my admiration for achieving so much, so young. They are a dedicated bunch.
As I watched the Jonas Brothers as presenters, Miley Cyrus as Miley Cyrus (ask a teen to explain), Zac Efron beat out by Rob Pattinson (no surprise there), Megan Fox as a female “hottie”(no idea who she is), and the show revolve around the cast of Twilight, I realized that these are the stars that need to promote awareness for autism. Their fan base are the people who need to be aware because they may have a peer in school with autism. Here’s the thing, these young kids need to be “super” aware. They need to know how a person with autism feels or acts in terms of socializing and acceptance. What better way to get the attention of this population than to promote these messages through one of the Teen Choice idols. Any message delivered through a teen idol such as Nick Jonas (or any of the above mentioned) is sure to be received in full. Does anyone know the publicists of these ambitious stars?
I can’t help but try. My son, and the autistic community he is a part of, is worth my effort. This is a tall order but if I don’t try, I know that the awareness to this target audience will be lost for now. No matter what, I maintain such optimism for the “unreachable”. I’m not sure why. I do know that if I don’t ask, I won’t know. And that is the question:
How do we (the autism community) snag one of these Teen Choice personalities to take on our cause?
We need connections and luck. For now, I twitter and cross my fingers….
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Words of personal experience, opinion, and lessons learned about mothering a child on the spectrum with autism, his younger sister, marriage, finances, and seeking out a sense of self.
@dancin_in_the_rainn@xanga – I agree as well! I think they are wonderful role models. 🙂
@lightxhouse@xanga – yeah the jonas brothers really try to show their support for all different causes.
I think that so many people can judge them and say their music suck, but what they don’t realize is that their main audience is younger girls. Not only should their music pertain to them, but they also try to be good role models with volunteering, abstinence, religion etc. which they do
Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers is an advocate for those with special needs, autism included. He recently participated in the iWin 5k Run for the disabled. Nick Jonas supports diabetes, and Kevin Jonas’s cause is volunteerism. Check out their charity website for more details: http://www.changeforthechildren.org
@winningbylosing@xanga – i don’t really think that was the point of this post…
i thought this was so true. people do need to be aware. although no one in my life has autism, i am very aware as my mom works with autistic children and so i think i can agree with you when i wish that more people were aware…
you don’t know who megan fox is?
I know how this is. My brother is nine and was diagnosed with Autism last year. I’m in high school and there’s a boy there who is similar to my brother and I always feel so sad when I see him because sometimes he’s alone. I don’t know if he’s necessarily picked on, but it worries me because in a few years my brother will be in middle school and high school and I won’t be there to protect him. He’s such a good kid with so much to offer, people just don’t always have patience and take the time to get to know him.
this is a really good idea. if i ever somehow get in contact with miley cyrus — apparently our fathers are, like, third cousins — i’ll mention it to her. lol.
You’d be surprised at how aware our generation is! Teasing kids like your son is grossly unpopular among us. We enjoy participating in programs like Buddy Club and Partners N Pals and are very aware of why they act the way they do.
I realize you probably have horror stories of teasing your child has endured, but I think that’s going to be the case no matter who promotes the awareness of autism.
But to answer your question all you, a member of the autism community, can do is write letters and pray for the best (:
I don’t know, but that is so true!!