Over Valentine’s Day weekend, both men’s JV and varsity hockey teams played a benefit game to raise autism awareness.

The event, called Blue on the Ice, had the players on both teams, as well as the teams from the rival schools, wear limited-edition, blue jerseys. With a suggested donation of $1 at the door as well as a silent auction for a limited-edition jersey, all proceeds raised went to Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) of Washington.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects social interaction and communication, in terms of understanding social cues or being able to convert ideas into speech, making daily life more difficult for those afflicted. In the United States, it is estimated that 1 in 68 children will be diagnosed with autism, with 3.5 million Americans currently living with the disorder. The disorder is often diagnosed in children and toddlers, during the early developmental period, when the symptoms are more pronounced. Symptoms of ASD in infants and toddlers include differences in communication — i.e. babbling, unusual gestures, odd vocal patterns– as well as aggression, tantrums, repetitive behavior, self-injury, or limited focus of interest in a given activity.

“Autism is far more common in boys than it is in girls,” said Dora Sherman, an EWU junior who’s 14-year-old brother has autism. “My brother was diagnosed late, when he was 8 or 9 years old. We knew since he was 4 that there was something different about how he interacted with everyone. We assumed it was behavioral, until he was finally diagnosed.”

Sherman’s family has previously applied for Ben’s Fund, a grant through FEAT, which provides financial assistance to families who need help paying for the treatments involved with ASD. “Even though we didn’t end up getting the grant, I’m glad that [FEAT] has it available for families in need. It’s a good charity. I’m happy it was picked for the hockey game,” she said.

Many families who have one or more members dealing with autism might find it hard to pay for treatment. The cost of autism services in the U.S. alone is $236-262 billion annually. For families who cannot afford the extra costs of treatment, learning programs, or therapy, there are charities, like FEAT, that have grants available for them.

“I’m glad the hockey teams picked a more local charity for their event. At many autism awareness events, you see that the donations are going to corporate run charities like Autism Speaks, where not all the money is going to research or awareness,” said Shaylee Farnam, an EWU junior who’s 13-year-old brother was diagnosed with autism at age 3.

FEAT of Washington is a non-profit organization, based out of Bellingham, Washington, which provides a variety of services for families who have children and teens with autism. A statewide resource for autism support, FEAT offers an applied behavioral analysis early-learning center based program, skill groups and respite for teens, Ben’s fund –a statewide–autism grant), and a family support hotline.

“I think FEAT’s hotline is an amazing resource,” said Farnam. “Many families don’t have anyone else to talk to about [autism] with who would understand what they are going through.”

EWU men’s varsity and JV hockey teams are no strangers to charitable fundraisers. In addition this event, they also do an annual “Pink in the Rink” benefit game in October, for national breast cancer awareness month. While autism awareness month isn’t until April, this event is a sign that awareness for any disorder is always a relevant cause.