World Autism Awareness Day
02 April 2026, Thursday
02 April 2026, Thursday
11:00 AM
01:00 PM
Department of Psychology, School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (SLASS), IILM University, Gurugram
Department of Psychology, SLASS, IILM University, Gurugram
Dr. Aanchal Chaudhary (Assistant Professor & Programme Coordinator, PG), Ms. Aradhya Sharma (Assistant Professor & MA Mentor, 2024 Batch), Ms. Kritika Jain (Assistant Professor & BA Mentor, 2024 Batch)
IILM University, Gurugram
The Department of Psychology at IILM University, Gurugram organised a structured awareness event on 2 April 2026 to mark World Autism Awareness Day, employing a multi-format approach that integrated student-led interactive stalls, thought-provoking skits, myth-busting activities, and an expert lecture to create a holistic educational experience on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The event was anchored by an expert lecture delivered by faculty member Dr. Rati Khurana on the topic “Autism Awareness in Everyday Life,” which commenced at 11 AM and focused on the importance of acceptance and individualised support, communication strategies and behavioural understanding, and the roles of caregivers, educators, and society in fostering inclusion.
Student-led awareness stalls formed a foundational and pre-lecture component of the event, covering four key content areas — Myths vs Facts about autism, early signs and identification, communication and behavioural characteristics, and strategies for inclusion and support — thereby enabling students to take an active and pedagogically meaningful role in disseminating accurate information to their peers before engaging with formal expert content.
The event explicitly aimed to bridge theoretical academic knowledge of autism with real-life application by combining creative expression (skits), interactive peer learning (awareness stalls), and expert knowledge (Dr. Khurana’s lecture), positioning it as an exercise in experiential and applied learning rather than passive information transfer.
The event was designed to foster student advocacy and social responsibility by encouraging participants to become active proponents of mental health awareness and inclusivity, reflecting the Department of Psychology’s commitment to developing not only academically informed graduates but also socially engaged professionals.
Students gained a deeper understanding of autism as a spectrum condition, developing foundational knowledge of its characteristics, the nature of the spectrum, and the significance of individual differences — moving beyond textbook definitions towards a more nuanced, contextualised appreciation of ASD.
Through the design and delivery of interactive awareness stalls — covering myths vs facts, early signs, communication characteristics, and inclusive strategies — students took direct ownership of peer education, strengthening their ability to translate complex psychological knowledge into accessible, engaging public communication.
The performance of skits depicting the daily experiences, challenges, and strengths of individuals with autism provided students with an experiential and empathetic learning modality, enabling them to internalise the lived realities of neurodiverse individuals in a manner that academic instruction alone could not achieve.
The interactive discussion session following Dr. Rati Khurana’s lecture allowed students to raise questions relating to identification, intervention, inclusion, and societal attitudes, helping them consolidate and extend their learning from both the awareness activities and the formal lecture into a more integrated and holistic understanding.
The valedictory session, in which students reflected on their learnings and acknowledged the importance of spreading awareness and practising inclusivity, reinforced the event’s objective of building advocacy skills and social responsibility, equipping students to apply empathetic and evidence-informed perspectives in both their professional practice and personal conduct.