Summary
12 Months of April turns autism awareness into year-round action. From sensory kits to programs like Yellow Dot and Project Lifesaver, one parent is helping families and first responders stay prepared. Because safety shouldn’t be seasonal.
What if April didn’t have to end? That’s the question behind 12 Months of April, a project turning autism awareness into year-round action. From creating sensory kits to connecting families and first responders with life-saving programs like Yellow Dot and Project Lifesaver, this initiative started with one parent’s mission: make safety resources known, accessible, and ready when they matter most.
The parent behind the project, Kati Maas-Crawford, shares the story behind 12 Months of April.
When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough: Lessons from Autism, Safety, and Community Programs
In November 2024, I met with my municipality to discuss programs like the Yellow Dot Program and Project Lifesaver. I followed up with emails to help supply the building with pamphlets and information. In March 2025, I read a court document labeling these efforts “gratuitous,” which was upsetting. How could programs meant to help people with special needs be seen as unnecessary, especially by a family law firm?
A week later, Victor Perez was shot and killed by police in Idaho. I wondered if resources like a premise alert or special needs registry, or de-escalation techniques I’ve used in classrooms, could have made a difference. Shortly after, RFK held a press conference on autism, sparking widespread debate that felt personal, since autism touches both my home and work life.
At the end of April 2025, a book was sent to our house “to help” our child. It wasn’t requested, didn’t focus on coping skills or sensory needs, and didn’t fully represent autistic experiences. We were initially told it came from our municipality or police department. When I raised concerns and suggested better options, I was later informed the book did not come from them, which left questions and frustrations unresolved.
Making April Last All Year
Any one of these things would create anxiety for a parent but everything quickly accumulating amplified my worries. I knew that passively observing all these problems was not an option for me. If there is a problem, you solve it. One clear problem was that there wasn’t enough awareness of these resources by families, care providers or first responders. We were deep in April, which is autism awareness month, but what happens once April is done?
You make April year-round!
I then made myself the goal of contacting all municipalities in Allegheny County within 12 months about programs that they could share with their first responder services as well as community members. Hence the name “12 Months of April.” I made a Facebook page about my goal to hold myself publicly accountable as well as promote the safety resources.
Yellow Dot, Project Lifesaver, and Premise Alerts are free through the County and State and can make such a difference for everyone who could be involved in an emergency.
The Yellow Dot program is a yellow circle sticker that goes on your back windshield to alert first responders that someone in the car has special needs whether they be medical, physical or cognitive. A yellow pamphlet in the glove box details these needs to help first responders provide even better assistance for someone who is deaf, non-verbal, diabetic, heart condition, anything.
Project Lifesaver is a national program that is currently sponsored in Allegheny County through the DA’s office. It is a bracelet that a person wears and can be tracked through radio frequency should a person wander and does not have the means to communicate or understand where they are. This benefits those with autism as well as those with dementia or Alzheimer’s. This can help greatly reduce search time for someone which is crucial in preventing injuries or death.
The Allegheny County Premise alert is also known as the Special Needs Registry. I personally share it as a premise alert as it can help in many ways. You register with the county and then if services are dispatched to your home, police get an alert that gives them information about special needs, if the house has firearms, senior resident is on oxygen, or anything that helps prepare them.
I personally feel that the ball has been dropped, or not even picked up when it comes to promoting these programs. Information about them seems to be a reactive measure after a tragedy has happened. I would much rather be proactive. Even if one person a day learns about these things, then they can share with someone else and information will continue to ripple out.
Sensory Kits
As things were progressing, I spoke with a social worker and we discussed the cost of sensory kits. Sensory kits can retail for $50-$150 which can be hard to work into budgets. I feel that that cost is high, especially considering how much of the kit contents were sitting in a toy box at my house. I felt that something was better than nothing and started making kits.
The kit may look like a Ziplock bag of “stuff” but everything in them has a purpose. Every item in the kits reminds me of our child or my students. I made and donated a few, posted it on our page and then started receiving requests! To keep up with requests, I started posting on Facebook and talking with friends about others cleaning out their toy boxes. As things continued, it was suggested that I make an Amazon Wishlist, which people have been so generous with!
My husband and our daughter help make and deliver the kits. Our daughter is so caring about others and we are so proud of her every day! She understands what everything in the kit can help with and has explained the sensory kits in front of Fire Departments, Fraternal Order of the Police meetings and each grade at her school for their Safety Day. As my goal progressed, places were requesting that we come do a presentation about the sensory kits as well as other resources and ideas.
Growing the Mission: Expanding Sensory Kit Support and Community Partnerships
As this project has grown, I feel the need to keep it going and expand into neighboring counties as well as Erie county where I grew up. To support that mission I jumped through the hoops to get non-profit status to keep things accountable and ready to grow. I want to keep reaching out to different organizations about spreading information about the safety programs as well as coming together to collect items for kits, make them and then get them to first responders.
The list of people I want to thank is constantly growing and it’s almost unbelievable how supportive people have been, especially those in the community where we live. There is a man in Cranberry, Harry Rattay, who has been incredibly supportive with orders and funds and I can tell how much he loves his nephew.
We have started working with schools, Girl Scout and Cub Scout troops, American Heritage Girls, and more to collect items, create kits and donate them to first responders while children can learn more about what the first responders do. The ACLD Tilotson School in Baldwin has made 65 kits! Girl Scout Troop 16144 in Shaler has 30 kits made and they will be directly donating them to O’Hara PD, Lower Valley EMS as well as Parkview EMS and VFD.
I always say that in a perfect world, these kits wouldn’t be needed. But we all know that anything can happen and I am hoping that these kits will help First Responders assist children, those with special needs really anyone who could use some different support during a crisis. I have met so many wonderful and helpful people along the way and we find ways to help each other. Whether it is sharing posts, exchanging items, offering and receiving support, everyone has been awesome!
The 12 Months of April project has grown from creating sensory kits for local first responders to expanding into neighboring counties, partnering with schools, scout troops, and community members to collect, assemble, and distribute kits. With nonprofit status secured, the initiative continues to raise awareness, provide practical support, and build a network of caring people dedicated to helping children and individuals with special needs during emergencies. To learn more, visit 12 Months of April on Facebook.