Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital hosted its annual Autism Acceptance Day event on Thursday, April 2, bringing awareness to the neurodivergent community by providing an afternoon of fun for children, families and hospital care teams with a visit from mini therapy horses and local firefighters.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication, social interaction, and behavior. Autism Acceptance Day is on April 2 each year, and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, along with organizations across the globe, will support Autism Acceptance Month throughout April to raise awareness for the increase in identified cases and to celebrate the acceptance of neurodiverse people, according to a press release.
“For me personally, and I think for us at the hospital, it’s important to have inclusion,” said Dr. Ioana Pal, licensed clinical psychologist at Stramski Children’s Developmental Center at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital. “To make people comfortable when they come out to celebrate so they can continue to bring that awareness and acceptance year-round.”
Eric Rojas, 6, pets a mini therapy horse at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Long Beach Fire Department Station 7 makes a visit during Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Eric Rojas, 6, participates in activities at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Children and families interacted with mini therapy horses at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Tuesday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Children and families interacted with mini therapy horses at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Tuesday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Valentina Blue, a mini therapy horse, plays a keyboard during Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Children and families interacted with mini therapy horses at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Tuesday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Long Beach Fire Department Station 7 makes a visit during Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Children and families interacted with mini therapy horses at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Tuesday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Nurses interacted with mini therapy horses at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Long Beach held its annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026, featuring mini therapy horses and beloved mascot Millie the Dolphin. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Children and families interacted with mini therapy horses at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Liani Lira, 5, petting Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital facility therapy dog Karat at the hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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Eric Rojas, 6, pets a mini therapy horse at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital’s annual Autism Acceptance Day celebration on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
There are no medical tests that can diagnose autism, but each year, one in 31 children is identified on the autism spectrum in the United States, according to a press release.
“The number could sometimes be scary for parents,” Pal said. “It’s important for parents to know that it’s this type of awareness that brings more research, and it brings parents forward to get their kids evaluated.
“This type of acceptance and awareness makes it OK for parents not to feel like they have to wait or to feel like there’s something wrong by getting an evaluation,” Pal added, “because the diagnosis is the most important thing toward getting the support, so that there are no or very few barriers later on.”
At the Stramski Children’s Development Center at Miller Children’s & Women’s, doctors and health teams care for children with behavioral and developmental conditions, and support their families. For nearly 50 years, the Stramski Center has provided comprehensive care by creating specialized programs addressing the bespoke needs of our patients. It is one of Southern California’s leading comprehensive centers that supports children – from birth to age 21 – with conditions such as autism, Fragile X, and ADD/ADHD.
Eighteen-year-old Emmalee Beltran, from Long Beach, was at the event with her family – including her mother, Leann Beausoleil, and grandmother, Marie Beausoleil.
Beltran was recently diagnosed with autism at the Stramski Children’s Development Center. She said that knowing her diagnosis brought her reassurance and relief. Her favorite part of the event was getting to pet the mini therapy horses.
“It was great to have her go through (the hospital) for her diagnosis,” Leann Beausoleil said. “They were caring, listened, and this is actually her being retested because she was misdiagnosed when she was 10. Coming through here again was something that she wanted to do.”
Belle and Valentina Blue were the mini therapy horses that children, like Beltran, were able to pet and see perform tricks, such as smiling, high-fives and playing small keyboards.
Patients and families also participated in fun and interactive sensory activities, including bubbles and fidget toys. They also got to greet Miller Children’s beloved mascot, Millie the Dolphin, facility therapy dogs, and firefighters from Long Beach Fire Station 7.