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Description
This Project focuses on strengthening the role of the patient organization LÍP A SPOLU and improving situation of people with autism spectrum disorders.
Effective support for people with autism and their families is still insufficient and unsystematic.
The reasons are, e.g.,missing,low-quality or overloaded services in the field of healthcare, welfare and education. There still may be misconceptions about autism from some parents,teachers and public.
Our project contributes to solving the situation in several ways.
We can increase the number of employees of our Patient Centre ‘LÍP A SPOLU, z.s,’and the project will enable them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for successful running of the organization, representing people with autism and defending their interests and rights.
We will improve and expand our services for children and adults with autism and their families.
A personal assistant for children with autism will be trained to ensure a qualified care for children who visit our Centre or participate in our children camps.
We will organize 2 summer camps for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
We will carry out 4 weekend stays for families with children with autism which enable sharing experiences and improve the families’spirit.
We will organize a series of 12 educational events led by experts in the field of autism. Parents,teachers and other participants will gain new information and knowledge necessary for upbringing and education of children with autism.
There will be 2 meetings for students of pedagogical faculties with young people with autism.
We focus on educating and de-stigmatizing people with autism and at the same time working with those affected by the disorder. We will publish articles in the online magazine ATYP and an anthology with contribution of people with autism.
People with autism,directly or indirectly,their parents and other carers,teachers and the public will benefit from the project''s activities.
Summary of project results
The project focused on strengthening the role of the patient organization LÍP A SPOLU, z.s. and improving the lives of people with autism spectrum disorders. We increased the number of staff in our patient organization and enabled them to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for successfully managing the organization, representing people with autism, and advocating for their rights and interests. We expanded and enhanced our services provided to children and adults with autism and their families.We organized summer camps for children with neurodevelopmental disorders and weekend rehabilitation retreats. Additionally, we implemented a series of twelve educational events led by experts in the field of autism. During the project’s implementation, we encountered challenges related to differing views on documented materials and reports following the replacement of the project manager. In total, three managers were replaced, and each had different expectations for texts and supporting documents. After the explanation, we always managed to harmonize with each other.
As part of the project, we organized a total of 14 lectures, conducted two summer residential camps, and implemented five short-term rehabilitation retreats for families with children with autism spectrum disorders.
During the project, we supported end users in difficult situations through residential camps and weekend retreats. These events allowed caregivers to rest while children participated in activities with assistants. During the weekend retreats, caregivers attended lectures that helped them better understand the behaviors of their children or wards.In total, 22 children participated in the camps, gaining new experiences and memories outside of their usual environment. Approximately 35 people (caregivers and children) attended the weekend retreats. By conducting 14 lectures, we raised public awareness of autism spectrum disorders. These lectures also helped the center’s staff and parents improve their competencies in caring for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. We were able to implement these activities thanks to the project and the opportunity to expand our work team, and our communication with the public through social networks and websites also improved.