Lately, word has been spreading that some parents have been putting blue pumpkins out as trick or treat buckets, as a way to tell trick-or-treaters that their child has Autism.

Imagine you are a kid with Autism: you are all dressed up (or not, in case of sensory issues), and you are having fun trick-or-treating. All of a sudden, you are overwhelmed by all of the overstimulation and you start to have a meltdown. Not to mention that you can have a hard time picking out candy, which may make some people impatient. You could also be nonverbal and that person may or may not be waiting for them to say "Trick or Treat". Yes, there are kids like that, and they should and can still have fun on Halloween.

While this seems like a good idea to raise awareness, there are actually people that are not for it- saying that it singles a child out and makes them a target to predators as they say that those with disabilities are the most vulnerable to those crimes. Some of them even saying that it is affiliated with Autism Speaks which is not very well-liked by many people with Autism.

Now I know this sounds very similar to the Teal Pumpkin Project, as they are both shades of blue and they are both sending a message out to people who are passing out candy to trick or treaters. However, the Teal Pumpkin is specific to kids with allergies who may not be able to have the same candy as their peers, while the Blue Pumpkin is trying to tell a neighbor that they have a disability.

I know there are Autism identification cards, but it is used mostly for authority figures such as police officers to identify someone with Autism in an emergency. So, maybe having a little something to help the neighbor out (some parents have customized bags for their kids) can really make a difference.

I do feel like if it wasn't for all of the ignorance about Autism we wouldn't even need things like blue buckets, or special tags.

People would just know and just mind their business and give them candy. People wouldn't require Autistic kids to say "trick or treat" in order for them to get candy. Wouldn't criticize them if they decided to not wear a costume, wouldn't get annoyed if they take their time picking out candy.

No one should have to feel like they have to hide their disability; everyone needs to do better. Halloween should be everyone's holiday. I feel like we do have rights to our own opinions, but I also feel like we need both awareness and acceptance in order for people to understand Autism.

So, I say Happy Halloween and just let kids be themselves.