On October 13, 2022, 11th graders gathered at the Xianmian auditorium for the Thursday assembly. The topic of the presentation was how high schoolers could become better informed on autism and help make a difference in the lives of autistic people.

The presenter, Yutong, who is from 12(1), first introduced the concept of autism, including common misperceptions of this disorder. Yutong explained that symptoms of autism include but are not limited to challenges with socializing, difficulties with speech and nonverbal communication, and fixating on a movement or item. Yutong emphasized the importance of learning more about autism as there are quite a lot autistic people around the world. As students and a part of the younger generation, it is important to learn more about autism to help prevent common misconceptions in society and help create a world that is more accepting of autistic people. Next, David Chen from 11(3) presented the Clover Volunteer Service Group, an extracurricular activity that students can participate in to learn more about autism. The Clover Volunteer Service Group provides students with an opportunity to volunteer at an autistic children's health center, a center located not far from the campus, every Friday afternoon. The responsibilities of volunteers at the children's health center include maintaining the cleanliness of classrooms and the environment where the autistic children will participate in activities, assisting the teacher as they are providing the children with lessons, and organizing special activities at the health center during holidays.

When the assembly ended, students of Grade 11 were all reminded of how diverse their community is and were prompted to become more informed on topics like autism. Through the presentation from two members of the Clover Volunteer Service Group, students’ awareness regarding autism increased and more students wanted to participate in activities that would give back to their community.

(Written by 11-2 Maxwell He  Picture by SHSID Media Group   Edited by 11-8 Jessica Tham   Supervised by Yueer Gao    Reviewed by Qian Zuo)