A state-wide autism advocacy group is holding an event in Kirkland for autistic children this weekend.

The Washington Autism Alliance and Advocacy (WAAA) is holding a Day for Autism event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Juanita High School. The event includes activities designed to help autistic children.

Jess Silvernail, WAAA’s primary organizer for the event, said the activities are intended to help the kids interact with adults and other children through various methods that engage certain senses, such as hearing and touch. One such activity includes the use of music.

“It’s been amazing to reach those kids to communicate with them and get them to engage with you,” she said. “You get into their world. A lot of the time the kids don’t speak, they have a hard time looking you in the eye. Then you have higher functioning kids that love everything that involves their favorite activity and actually speak to you, so it is a wide range of everything.”

This is the first year WAAA has hosted the event.

More information on the event can be found at www.washingtonautismadvocacy.org.