Preschoolers Enjoy Autism Awareness Walk

Cerebral Palsy of Westchester hosted its fifth annual Autism Awareness Walk on April 28 at the United Preschool in White Plains.

CPW celebrated the month of April being National Autism Awareness Month and ended the month with preschool students hosting a walk. The walk began at 10:30 a.m., and all of the children had on matching blue shirts and colored sunglasses. With music playing, the students walked a couple of laps with smiles on their faces. The kids were excited and happy to come together for the annual awareness walk!

A "Pieces of Hope Tree" was created and is on display at the preschool. The tree is filled with personalized puzzle pieces that were purchased to raise money for autism services. Custom designed by students, this tree will raise awareness for all children and young adults who benefit from CPW's autism services.

CPW serves many children and young adults with autism and offers special programming for them and their families. The Saturday Explorers program provides many opportunities that benefit attendees such as increased socialization through structured play, help increasing learning through one-on-one interaction with a staff person, and increasing attention spans by changing activities often to keep the attendees interested and learning.

The program also incorporates CPW's Lekotek program, which provides a way to learn during play sessions that are facilitated in an environment that promotes interactive play among family members.

For more than 65 years, Cerebral Palsy of Westchester has been the leading non-profit organization in Westchester County, providing essential services to children and adults with all developmental disabilities including autism, neurological impairments, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy and cerebral palsy. It has been CPW's purpose to help people realize their goals, build brighter futures, and lead more independent lives as members of their community.