On June 9 and 10, 2022, the annual academic school on autism took place, focusing on the most painful problems and current issues. The event was attended by representatives of the Foundation for Children with Autism Syndrome “Child with Future” – Inna Sergienko, founder and consul of Autism Europe, and Eugenia Panichevska, director of communications for the foundation.
School time was devoted to:
Diagnostic criteria for mental disorders in children through the lens of current international communications ( МКХ11, DSM5);
Peculiarities of the course, special needs of children and families, the problems of organizing medical and psychological care for autism spectrum disorders
Autism and epilepsy, developmental encephalopathies;
Forensic psychiatric evaluation of children and adolescents in civil and criminal proceedings;
Recurrent and bipolar depression in pediatric practice;
Behavioral disorders in children and adolescents (clinical typology, therapeutic strategies).
Delegates of the “Foundation for Children with Autism Syndrome “Child with Future” presented the symposium “Topical issues of psychological and pedagogical support, social support for children with autism spectrum disorders.
Inna Sergienko, June 10, opened the symposium with the “Socialization and integrated support of families with ASDs and professionals working with them: experiences during the coronavirus epidemic and the war in Ukraine.
“The effects of war are terrible for any person and child, but for people with autism, it is multiplied by 100. Parents tell of extreme regression in their children – many have experienced various types of sensory and emotional deprivation. It is extremely hard to leave their homes because both adults and children have found themselves in unusual circumstances. Little kids don’t understand that a bomb can be thrown into the basement and that you have to sit quietly. Some of them survived being shot in cars while trying to leave for safety – their relatives were partially killed or were injured. Others found themselves without parents abroad.
We try to help. So, organized informational help on Facebook. It’s interesting that most families note a better level of support in Ukraine compared to other countries where people were forced to be because of the war. That’s good to hear, but many experts have left Ukraine and we don’t know if they will ever return. But we hope that things will gradually recover,” says Inna Sergiyenko.
Yevgeniya Panichevska finished the symposium with a presentation on the new project Autism Unity, a joint Ukrainian-American initiative to help families find specialists in education, local communities, and services for autistic children in their city of residence, both abroad and displaced in Ukraine.
“Each year the School gives assurance of high professional level of our doctors and teachers, sincere involvement in the problem of autism and its comprehensive research. The event brought together and provided an opportunity to present experiences, share best practices, and receive support from colleagues at this difficult time for all of us. Everyone involved in the problem of autism in Ukraine knows how difficult it was to create a system of care in recent years, and how it has become more complicated now, not only for families but also for professionals from all support services. We invite for cooperation and partnership of specialists and organizations working with children and teenagers with autism, we try to support and find support for everyone who needs it as much as we can,” – Evgeniya Panichevska called in her report.
For objective reasons, the event was held online and was attended by many international experts and industry professionals. Detailed information about the event, the lecturers, and the program of the School on Autism can be found at the link.
