Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the courage of children with autism and their families on the first World Autism Awareness Day, calling Wednesday for all countries to respond to their needs.

Ban commended the initiative taken by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and his consort, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, to spearhead the drive to have the General Assembly to designate April 2 as a day to focus on children and adults suffering from autism.

"Let us pay tribute to the courage of children with autism and their families, as they strive every day to confront the disability with a powerful combination of determination, creativity and hope," Ban said in a message read at a panel held to mark the day.

"Let us empower them and respond to their needs today, so as to make our societies more accessible, enabling and empowering for all our children tomorrow."

The resolution adopted by the General Assembly asks all nations, U.N. bodies, international organizations and non-governmental groups to take steps to raise awareness of the disorder.

It expresses deep concern at "the prevalence and high rate of autism in children in all regions of the world and the consequent developmental challenges."

Autism has always been diagnosed by making judgments about a child's behavior. For decades, the diagnosis was given only to children with severe language and social impairments and unusual, repetitive behaviors. But in the 1990s, the autism umbrella was expanded and now includes a group of milder, related conditions.

Bob and Suzanne Wright, who founded the American advocacy group Autism Speaks three years ago after their grandson was diagnosed with the disorder, attended the U.N. panel. They said autism affects tens of millions worldwide, including 1.5 million Americans.