Angela Wilson, President of the Central West Autism & Special Needs Awareness Group, was bullish when talking about the cancellation.

"The cancellation of our blue dish events, was incredibly disappointing, but we will be back bigger and better than ever in 2021."

That certainly doesn't mean Autism Awareness Month is redundant this year, with the events from previous years really starting to make an impact.

"I do believe we are starting to make some progress with creating awareness in the community. I think the more visible we are, the more conversations are generated and the more the community feels like they have a greater understanding of autism," says Angela.

According to Autism Spectrum Australia, one in 70 Australians have autism. It is a lifelong developmental condition, with all people on the spectrum affected in two main areas: social communication and repetitive patterns of behaviour.

They highlight some of the characteristics of autism as:

Angela says it's crucial the community educates themselves about autism, because that's what will led to greater acceptance.

"With this understanding comes acceptance, which is what our main goal is. We desire to see the children and adults with a disability in our community feel like they have a place here, that they belong and have the opportunity to contribute to our society in their own unique way. We want to see their differences celebrated." says Angela.

Keep an eye out for the Champion Post sharing stories of locals on the spectrum throughout the month.