Alvaro E. Ramirez is a 1st grade student at Escobar Rios Elementary and his mission is to raise autism awareness not only at his school but throughout the community. This is an extremely personal mission for him since he was diagnosed with autism in 2016.
In order to help his fellow classmates understand what it is to have autism Ramirez set out to read to them. He selected a book that he had read when he was younger and really liked it, the book is called All My Stripes by Shaina Rudolph and Danielle Royer.
The main character Zane is a zebra that feels different from the rest of his classmates. He worries that his differences make him stand out. It is with careful guidance from his mother that Zane learns that autism is only one of the many qualities that he learns to appreciate.
“I wanted to read this book in class because I wanted to share what autism is with my friends so they can understand me a little more and understand autism,” said Ramirez. “I have been waiting over a month to do this and I am happy that I finally got to read to them.”
Alvaro is a charismatic and intelligent young boy with excellent presentational skills. He is a straight “A” student with a love for science and reading. He knows each of his classmates by name and remembers their likes and dislikes.
According to his father, raising awareness was an idea he had all on his own. He wanted to do this so that more people can truly understand autism and how it affects individuals differently.
Autism or autism spectrum disorder refers to a broad range of conditions that challenges autistic individuals with their social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication as well as unique strengths and differences. For more information please contact the Mission CISD Special Education Department at (956) 323-5570.