FOR A GOOD CAUSE:Understanding autism starts with awareness

As a 6-year-old, Ariana Cernius didn’t understand what autism was, but she knew being the older sister of an autistic child meant she got to jump on the furniture and act “completely wild” alongside her brother, Andrew.

Now a sophomore at Newport Harbor High School, Ariana understands plenty about the disorder, and her goal for the month of April — national Autism Awareness Month — is to ensure her peers understand it as well.

“The CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] reports that one in 150 people have autism, and 80% of those people are under the age of 17,” she said. “That’s my generation, and I want to make them more aware that they are going to have to deal with all of these autistic kids.”

For the second year, Ariana is working on an educational campaign throughout the Newport Mesa Unified School District with the help of her campus International Ambassador’s Club.

“The goal of our club is to promote understanding of people who may be different for some reason and possibly excluded because of those differences,” said club advisor Joe Robinson. “This effort is an attempt to become more aware of autism and how many people it affects.”

In addition to giving informative presentations and selling candy labeled with autism facts on her campus, the 15-year-old used the money she made selling $1 bracelets last year to print 3-by-5-foot color posters — featuring some of the many faces of autism — which she placed at more than 15 Newport-Mesa schools.

Any money the campaign generates will benefit Ariana’s organization, Teen Help for Autism, which is awaiting nonprofit status.

“The more people that are aware of autism, the easier it will be for autistic kids,” Ariana said. “When we go out, people stare at my brother because they don’t know what’s wrong with him…. I want to get the symptoms out there so people know how to treat them.”

Some of those symptoms include difficulty communicating, poor eye contact, hand-flapping and spinning in circles, according to the website Ariana has created — www.teenhelpforautism.info — which includes a blog where visitors are invited to share their stories about friends and family with autism.

“A lot of people contact me through the website asking for posters to put up at their schools or asking me questions about autism,” Ariana said. “I like to know I am making a difference.”

Her mother, Poita Cernius, could not be more proud of her daughter’s efforts. Being the parent of an autistic child is a “24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week” job, she said, leaving her without the time to do their own fundraising and campaigning.

“Instead of just feeling sorry for Andrew, she is choosing to do something to help him,” Poita Cernius said.

“Anytime there is autism awareness being raised, it means the world to me and every other parent out there with an autistic child.”

Although Andrew’s special needs often hinder the family from taking vacations or dining out, the positive effects Andrew has on his older sister’s life far outweigh the negative ones.

“He has taught me so many life lessons,” she said. “Newport Beach can be so materialistic, and Andrew really brings me down to earth.

“He is my inspiration.”

In addition to the website, those interested in learning more about autism can watch Ariana and Andrew on a Nickelodeon news program with Linda Ellerbee set to air at 8:30 p.m. on April 22.