April 2nd was World Autism Awareness Day and this campaign did not go unnoticed for Adventists in the south of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Several churches in the Rio de Janeiro region promoted awareness initiatives about the cause and included the inauguration of a multisensory room for autistic individuals which took place on April 6, 2024, at the Seventh-day Adventist Church (IASD) in Colégio, in the north of Rio.

The project arose from the objective of generating greater comfort for children and their families. The space features special lighting, activity panels, and an acoustic lining. In addition, the church will also invest in other elements that help with self-regulation, such as aromatherapy, which uses aromas as a means to calm the mind and body.

Danielle Ferreira is director of Adventist Possibility Ministries (APM) at the College Adventist Church and explains how the space was born. "There was a lot of sensory dysregulation in the church, so I realized that this type of environment would work very well here. Some friends from the church supported us with donations and we put our hand in," she says. She also believes that the initiative can inspire other churches to do the same.

Photo: SAD

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The inauguration of the multisensory room meets the APM principle, which is to make the church more accessible to everyone. As a result, the improvement in the worship experience was felt by the family of Bruna da Fonseca, mother of an autistic son. "When I didn't have this space before, it was very complicated. During his crises, I was at the door of the church. So, with this space, it improved a lot", she says gratefully. The site will benefit four other frequent families and visitors.

Photo: SAD

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Autism Awareness

Blue was defined as the color symbol for autism because the disorder is more common in boys, with a proportion of around four boys for every girl. For this reason, members of the Adventist Church participated in the "Blue Saturday" campaign and wore clothes in that color to go to worship. Special programs related to the campaign were also made to strengthen the cause.

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese website.