AN IRISH delegation has arrived in Russia for a week-long trip to raise awareness and spread information about the care and education of children with autism.
Members of the group will meet parents of children with autism as well as those working in services which have been caring for children with the condition.
The delegation includes representatives of Irish Autism Action and the children’s charity To Russia with Love, educational psychologist Alan Willis and a number of parents of Irish children with autism.
Debbie Deegan of To Russia with Love, which assists orphans in the Bryansk region of Russia, said the treatment of autism was at an early and underdeveloped stage in Russia.
“The expertise of Irish Autism Action will be of great benefit to Russian children, their parents, those working in the field as well as the children of the 12 orphanages we work with.”
The delegation will meet doctors and visit psychiatric facilities where autism is currently treated in Russia.
They will also meet parents of children with autism and provide seminars and classes for parents and professionals working in the field both in Moscow and in Bryansk.
“We’re excited by this unique opportunity to share our experiences and to learn from people who have dealt with autism in a completely different culture,” said Irish Autism Action chief executive Kevin Whelan.
“We are fascinated to learn how those running orphanages have coped with children with this condition, but without the sort of family support that we take for granted here.”
