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Johannesburg, South Africa (07 April 2026)<\/em> – April is Autism Acceptance Month. It is a month dedicated to celebrating neurodiversity, understanding the strengths and honouring the challenges faced by those on the spectrum.<\/p>\n Having received numerous messages from families seeking guidance on how to access support for their children, our reigning Miss South Africa, Qhawekazi Mazaleni<\/strong><\/a>, is using her platform to help others navigate Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).<\/p>\n Far more than just a pageant queen who wears our national crown, Qhawekazi is also a qualified speech therapist, educational activist and a self-published children\u2019s author and a Master\u2019s student in speech pathology, specialising her research in the field of autism.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I love most about this month is that the name has been changed from \u2018Autism Awareness Month\u2019 to \u2018Autism Acceptance Month\u2019, which moves towards genuine acceptance and support for autistic children and adults,\u201d Qhawekazi shares in a recent post.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n She recognises that our country still has a very long way to go in terms of ASD information availability, partially because of cultural differences, which result in taboos.<\/p>\n \u201cSo many children remain isolated or undiagnosed because their behaviour is viewed as difficult due to misinformation. I want to use this community to make a difference where we can.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Qhawekazi will now be using her social media platforms to launch a four-part series<\/a><\/strong> covering how to get an autism diagnosis, getting support systems like speech or occupational therapy, communication tips and advice on how to navigate the public schooling system for children who are diagnosed with autism.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Qhawekazi Mazaleni (@qhawemazaleni)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n