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New counseling centre a lifeline for parents of children with disabilities
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The centre will evaluate children with a range of disabilities and based on the results will guide them to appropriate services, and offer much lacking support and information about their children's individual needs and potential.
Until recently in Romania, Autism hasn't been recognised as a special category for children with special needs, but rather it was placed under the overarching umbrella of disabilities, next to Down Syndrome, mental disabilities and others.
Legally, people older then 18 years are not even recognised as autistic; they are simply coined as schizophrenics.
'It's incredible. We have in our support groups parents who didn't even know until now what Autism really means. They acknowledged their child is special –, they took him to the doctor, put him on drugs, but knew nothing about therapy or education', says Cristina Haivas, the centre coordinator.
The first support groups for parents of children with Down Syndrome and Autism have already been formed.
'It's great to know and talk to other people that go through the same struggle with their children as I do…. I'm glad that I'm not the only one dealing with these problems', said the mother of a five-year old girl with Down Syndrome.
Apart from being a very practical, 'hands-on' hub for parents, the centre will also advocate on behalf of parents and families. Until 2007 no strategy of integrating children with disabilities into society existed, nor did legislation or education curriculum for people with Autism.
Today, children with a form of highly functional Autism can be integrated into mainstream schools yet few kindergartens or schools are actually willing to receive these children and teachers are not trained to meet their needs.
Awareness raising and education about Autism is therefore a key objective for the centre and a key step in improving the lives of those affected by the condition.
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