Sarah Parsons Almaty June 2014
The very first conference on autism took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan on June 25th and 26th 2014. The conference ‘Autism: New Opportunities for Children’ was organised by a parent organisation – Ashyk Alem – in collaboration with Autism Speaks‘ Global Autism Public Health Initiative (GAPH). Sarah Parsons gave two invited keynote talks – one focusing on the evidence base about educational provision for autism and the other about the use of technologies for supporting the learning of those on the autism spectrum.
Professor Helen Tager-Flusberg, from Boston University, was the other keynote speaker along with colleagues Andy Shih and Amy Daniels from Autism Speaks, and Mary Beruha from India. Many professionals and parents attended the conference with about 150 delegates in total.
Helen Tager-Flusberg Almaty June 2014
The two days were very successful, with opportunities for delegates to ask questions to the invited panel and for parents to participate in an interactive workshop with Mary Beruha. It was very interesting to hear more about some of the educational provision for children with autism in Kazakhstan, including how inclusion is supported and enacted in schools. Many thanks to Ashyk Alem for the opportunity to take part in such an important conference in your country and for all your hospitality and kindness!
