“Children on the autistic spectrum” – a seminar by Community and Competence Center

As a continuity of the activities on the project “Community and Competence Center for socially deprived people”, Malteser Albania, in cooperation with the Shkodra Municipality and the Regional Development Center of Disabled Children in Shkodra, has organized a seminar on “Children on the autistic spectrum”,

This training seminar, which was financially supported by Malteser Albania, was held on May 27-29, with the participation of about 40 interested people of different professions involved in their work with disabled people: speech therapists, assistants and teachers from the Regional Development Center of Disabled Children; teachers from the special school “3 Dhjetori”; teachers and assistants from the Home families “Madonnina del Grapa” and “Projekti Shpresa”, psychologists, students and parents of autistic children.
The referents of the seminar were Dr. Anita Zacharias, pediatrician and Dr. Monika Aly, therapist, from Germany.
The aim of the seminar was to help participants in identifying as early as possible cases and better ways of treating children of the autistic spectrum.
The two first days were mainly theoretical, where the referents talked about autism, the typical features, how to make diagnostics, what kind of therapy to follow, the TEACCH program (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children), the problematic behaviors and what kind of support is useful, communication and emotions.
The third day the participants were divided in small groups and the trainers assigned them the duty of working on therapies, case studies and the session closed with discussions and evaluations on the seminar.
The second part of the last day was a consulting time for staff and parents, which involved time for individual case studies and counseling for parents of autistic children.
At the end certificates were delivered to the participants.
Malteser Albania, the Municipality and the Development Center offer their thanks and gratitude to the German referents, Dr. Anita Zacharias, pediatrician and Dr. Monika Aly, therapist, who voluntary accepted to lead this very useful seminar.