Description
In recent years the mental health of children and adolescents is singled out as a priority are of interest, research and recommendations.The current estimate is that the prevalence of ASD is 1 in 100 children, underscoring their social significance.According to official statistics in the country the number of children with generalized developmental disorder is 409 in 2009, 411 in 2010 and 436 in 2011.Unfortunately, at present there is no single registry of children with autism, making the compilation of accurate statistic impossible. The overall project objectives: Improving the care for children with autism through the development of effective programs for early diagnosis and improvement of the qualification of the professionals for early diagnosis and early interventions. Specific objectives: Improving the effectiveness of the programme for working with autistic children, including an earlier diagnosis by introducing instruments(ADOS and ADI-R); Increasing the capacity and the qualifications of medical and non-medical staff of the Clinic for operating the new tools; improving and adapting the conditions at the Clinic to the needs of young children and their families.
Summary of project results
The project realized by the team of the Children's Psychiatry Clinic "St. Nicholas' contributed to solving a number of existing problems in the early diagnosis and care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), as follows: 1.The lack of a modern tool for diagnosing children with ASD - the project has introduced the ADI-R standards which is defined by professionals working in the field of child mental health as a "gold standard" in diagnostic evaluations of autistic disorder. The adopted standards will continue to be applied in early diagnosis of patients in the Clinic. 2. Lack of services and programs at the national level for early intervention of children with autism and prevention of severe consequences of their state - the training activities of the Clinic team and doctors from other specialized medical institutions are a step towards overcoming this problem as well. 3. Shortage of specialists to build teams for multidisciplinary care for patients and their families (clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, speech therapists, psychotherapists). This problem was partially resolved by building such teams on the ground - through the meetings that were held by municipalities. The capabilities of the new instruments were presented during that meetings as well as the mechanism for building multidisciplinary teams and the specific roles of the individual specialists in them. Various groups of specialists (general practitioners, nurses, psychologists, teachers, educators, and nursery directors) were trained during the trainings and meetings. Trainees got aware of the new opportunities and started more active contacts with their colleagues from the Clinic. 4. Insufficient institutional interaction and coordination of the efforts between the different institutions that serve autistic people between experts and professionals from different areas in the planning and provision of services for people with autism and their families - through the project activities - trainings, meetings, seminar - the partnership and institutional interaction in providing services for children with autism and their families had been improved.
Summary of bilateral results