Autism with style. Education and integration of students with autism or Asperger syndrome in schools of various types – this year’s largest meeting of professionals and parents interested in the subject of autism and education in Poland will be held in Warsaw on October 12-13, 2012.
The SYNAPSIS Foundation, the event organizer, invited speakers from Great Britain to this year’s conference – Jane Vaughan – director of education at the National Autistic Society i Lynn Plimley – the author of the program to support teachers in working with students on the autism spectrum. The speakers will talk about the specific solutions being developed in the field of education of students with autism used in Great Britain. A guest lecture will be given Josh Muggleton – a twenty-one-year-old Briton with Asperger Syndrome, who will talk about his educational path and the experiences of his brother – a person with autism and learning disabilities.
The presentations of British speakers will be supplemented by presentations of experiences and possible solutions used in the education of students with ASD in Poland.
“Every child in Poland, including autistic children, has the right to education, upbringing and care appropriate to their age and level of development” – Maria Jankowska, Ombudsman for Autistic People. Despite the applicable provisions of the educational law, students with autism often do not receive education appropriate to their psychophysical abilities and abilities. More importantly, due to the teachers’ lack of knowledge about the specificity of teaching methods and educating students with pervasive developmental disorders, these students often fulfill their compulsory education in the form of individual teaching, which in turn leads to their even greater isolation and failure to use their potential.
This situation not only causes the loss of the previous effects of work and therapy, but also limits the further perspectives of a person with autism, including work and independence in adult life. “It is worth emphasizing that whether a child with autism spectrum disorders will cope with school and adapt well to it depends primarily on the commitment of the school and teachers, and good cooperation with parents,” says Joanna Grochowska, a psychologist, Vice President of the SYNAPSIS Foundation.
The topics discussed at the conference cover a very wide range of issues related to the education of students on the autism spectrum, from the organization of the teaching process, through the progress of students through the next educational stages, to problems related to being a victim of violence at school and difficulties in functioning in a peer group.
Conference participants will receive specific tips and tools regarding the introduction and implementation of these practices in Poland, incl. thanks to the Polish edition of the book “Including autistic students in the school environment, prepared especially for this conference. Guide ”by Maggie Bowen, Lynn Plimley, recommended as a guide for teachers in working with students with autism and as a training material for teaching staff.
The event accompanying the conference will be the premiere of the Polish edition of the Spanish book “Maria i Ja” by Migueal Gallardo, the father of a teenager with autism and the main character of the book. The book is a joint project of the Orange Foundation, the SYNAPSIS Foundation and the Egmont Publishing House.
Applications for participation in the conference should be sent by September 30, using the registration form available at www.synapsis.org.pl. Participation in the conference is payable.
The Honorary Patronage over the Conference was taken by the Ombudsman, Minister of Education, UNDP and the Global Compact initiative.
Registration and organization:
tel. (+48) 798 277 200 (from 10.00 a.m. to 14.00 p.m.)
[email protected]
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Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that causes difficulties in perceiving the world, learning, communicating, and socializing. People with autism suffer from hypersensitivity of their senses, inability to communicate even with loved ones, and social isolation. In Poland, autism is diagnosed in 1 child out of 300, in Great Britain and the USA it is 1 in 100. The UN officially recognized autism as one of the biggest health problems in the world – next to cancer, diabetes and AIDS.
SYNAPSIS Foundation since 1989, it has been carrying out the mission of helping children and adults with autism and their families. It also provides specialist care for people with Asperger’s syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders. The Foundation runs a diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation center, a therapeutic kindergarten for children with autism, a social enterprise employing adults with autism, and an information and legal center. The SYNAPSIS Foundation is a public benefit organization. More at www.synapsis.org.pl