Ballarat Autism Network walks Lake Wendouree World Autism Day, celebrates 'superpower'

The annual event, by Ballarat Autism Network, was attended by young and old with the dress up theme 'come as your favourite superhero'.

Attendee Dermott Petersen, 25, was diagnosed with autism as a very young child, and said community events such as the walk gave him a sense of community.

"People just feel more confident being in their own skin when they're around other people like them," Mr Petersen said.

"The judgment of others doesn't sting as hard because you've got your community that accepts you and they they just they don't feel like they're alone.

"I remember growing up, like I was the only autistic in the class and I basically was the class clown. That's how I was accepted.

"I never really had any friends growing up and I get it from a lot of people now they've got friends now that these groups are starting up."

Organiser Tamara Wighton said the event was getting bigger each year and the theme was about focusing on the positives of autism.

"We see autism as a form of superpower, so we like to focus on the positives and all the strengths that people with autism have," she said.

"We like to see it as a fun way of promoting acceptance. We don't like to focus on so much on the deficits ... we like to really focus on the positives around autism.

"I think everyone has the right to be accepted for who they are and ... with autism, the more aware the community is, the more supportive they can be towards autistic people."

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it is estimated that 1 in 100 people in Australia have autism.

For Mr Petersen, World Autism Day is a chance to raise awareness in the wider community about challenges people on the autism spectrum face.

"If an autistic says that something is bothering them, they should take it seriously. Like, it may seem trivial to you, but like it can seem like the end of the world to them," he said.

"Everyone has their own experience of the world and you might not think that it's a big deal, but to them like something being slightly out of order that can set them off for the rest of the day.

"I think that a lot of people get the wrong idea about the way that some autistic people act, they come off as a bit strange, but if they got to know what they're about they'd get along with them."

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