For many, April represents a time when plants and flowers start to bud and bloom, but for Carolyn Tinglin and her family, it’s also about growing awareness and support for people with varied abilities.

Everyone stumbles in aspects of their life, but some individuals are called to weather more arduous day-to-day challenges than others.

An immersive film showing the world through the eyes of non-speaking autistic children is sparking class discussion on difference, communication, empathy and kindness. 

Vaccinating young children against a wide range of diseases is a medical and moral imperative, and a smart practice parents should embrace.

The Ontario government is advancing further along the road of privatization, this time in the area of autism therapies.

A sudden shift of up to 8,000 autistic children from government-funded therapy to full-time attendance at school could put the children, teachers and other students at risk, said the chair of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association.

TORONTO - It was a night of celebrating gifts and breaking stereotypes. But most of all, it was a night of fun.

OTTAWA - Dee Gordon, a Catholic mother of three, walked to Ottawa from her home in Toronto in the dead of winter to raise awareness of the autism crisis.

“It was so incredible I was able to make this walk,” said Gordon in an interview from her home.

TORONTO - If every Catholic is supposed to go to Mass on Sunday, Pope Francis wants every one of them to be well and truly welcomed when they get there — including the ones who randomly shout, rock back and forth in the pew, moan or unexpectedly laugh.

Grade 12 student Ramy Elsayed has been master of ceremonies at school events, plays saxophone in the school band and is looking forward to joining his school’s work-placement program. In many respects, he is a typical student at St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Toronto. But Elsayed, 18, has autism. 

EDMONTON - Meghan Burnside has been painting proficiently for seven years — about as long as she has been able to speak more than a few words.

The 27-year-old Edmonton artist is autistic and for the first 18 years of her life barely uttered a word. But last month one of her paintings — The Sacred Heart of Jesus — went on display at City Hall after she won first prize in a competition sponsored by Grant MacEwan University.