OGDEN — Stacy Bernal, head of a group formed to advocate for the autistic community, is motivated, in part, by incidents like the shooting last year of an autistic boy by Salt Lake City police.

That’s to say, she wants to do what she can to make sure Ogden never gains fame for that sort of incident. “I don’t want us to ever get to the point where we have a story,” she said.

To that end, through a group Bernal helped form called Awesome Autistic Ogden, she’s organizing a series of activities for the month of April to raise awareness about autism and neurodiversity. The kickoff event, “Autistic Artistic” at The Monarch, 455 25th St., is set for 6 p.m. Friday. It coincides with First Friday Art Stroll activities that day and will feature artwork by autistic students and clothing designed by an autistic woman, among other things.

“We really are just about increasing awareness and appreciation and support here in Ogden and Weber County,” said Bernal, the mother of a 15-year-old with autism.

A fundraiser, “Rise up for Autism,” is set for April 23 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Daily Rise Coffee, 2314 Washington Blvd., in Ogden. Otherwise, plans call for a range of online social media activities given the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, with details to be provided via Facebook at facebook.com/AwesomeAutisticOgden.

Seeing a vacuum, Bernal launched efforts locally to raise awareness about autism in 2018 and has continued the initiative each year, though she had to hold off on activities last year due to the pandemic. She coincides her efforts with Autism Acceptance Month throughout April and World Autism Awareness Day on April 2.

Prodded by Bernal, the Ogden City Council on March 23 declared April Autism Appreciation Month in the city.

“We encourage residents, schools, businesses and community groups to recognize and increase autism awareness and appreciation in our community. We appreciate the efforts of Awesome Autistic Ogden and other organizations that help those with autism to live full, successful lives,” reads the proclamation.

But for Bernal, mindful of the Sept. 4, 2020, shooting of a 13-year-old autistic boy by Salt Lake City police, the issue goes deeper. Police shot the teen multiple times, injuring him, after his family called for assistance because he was having some sort of mental health episode, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Bernal, worried her son could find himself in similar circumstances, hopes to bolster awareness to prevent that sort of incident.

“The older my son gets, the more difficult and scary things look,” she said.

If approached by police, she’s instructed the teen, Haiden, to be upfront and state point-blank that he’s autistic so the interaction doesn’t devolve into something out of control. “These are the things I lose sleep over at night,” she said.

On the bright side, Utah lawmakers passed legislation in the last session, House Bill 334, requiring law enforcement officers to get training focused on autism and mental illnesses. “We need to be able to recognize differences in people,” Bernal said.

In other ways, though, much still needs to be done, like bolstering educational offerings and other programming to help those on the autism spectrum. Programs are out there, but the waiting lists for help can be long. “Honestly, it’s hard,” Bernal said.