ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - April is Autism Acceptance Month. The St. Louis County Library is hosting their Community Autism Expo, and one employee is the mind behind it all.
The journey to creating this event began when Adam Rosen went to college. After some time, he experienced two things: autistic shutdown, which eventually led to autistic burnout.
"This is not just typical burnout that you hear in the media. This is specifically related to people with an autistic neurological wiring not being able to handle constant added stress," Rosen said.
This ended up happening again, after he went to a second university. Rosen said after a lot of research and with help from his parents, he discovered he was on the autism spectrum. From that point, he said he wanted to use his story to help others.
"I wanted to make sure that no children [or] young adults went through the system, and I didn't want anyone to go through what I went through," Rosen said.
That's when Rosen, who had been working at the Parkview Branch of the county library for years, took the proposition for an expo to his staff and managers in 2018.
"The reason that I wanted to do something proactive with my condition, is that as an autistic adult, I went through so much isolation not feeling that I was a part of the community, that there was a place for me in the world," Rosen said. "That level of isolation is so unnecessary."
Rosen said the expo is important because it gives the community an opportunity to shift the language that's used around autism.
"Autism itself is not a disease. If you think of yourself as being deceptive or diseased, you're not going to be able to live a full life. And that is an example of my previous existence," Rosen said. "I thought of myself as being a deceptive person, and so I treated myself that way. But over time when I gained a sense of purpose, a sense of self esteem about being on the autism spectrum, I was able to shift how I saw myself."
The Community Autism Expo is an opportunity for families with children on the autism spectrum, and also adults, to access services and resources that help them navigate all ages in life, specifically transitional periods. Rosen said he also encourages those who are not on the spectrum to try and attend.
"We only can get that type of collective welcoming if everyone from the community feels welcome to attend," Rosen said.
Around 20 local agencies will have tables at the expo. Attendees will also have the chance to learn about other resources available at the library like Sensory Story Time and Sensory Bags. Rosen also mentioned the library will have books on display. This way, people can check out books that are relevant to supporting someone on the autism spectrum across the age span.
Rosen said the empowering feeling people on the spectrum get from this expo is a precious resource.
"You're not going to be judged when you go to the expo, you're going to be affirmed as a person," Rosen said. "That is a feeling that people on the spectrum rarely get in a public setting, it is very rare, [and] that's why I created the expo to begin with."
The Community Autism Expo will take place at the Florissant Valley Branch located at 195 New Florissant Rd on Saturday, April 13th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.