On October 14 and 15, 2017, the eighth Amity International Seminar on Autism & Workshop on Field Skill in Autism Education was held in Nanjing Brain Hospital, affiliated with Nanjing Medical University. Eight experts and more than 160 people from China and abroad attended.
There were reports and discussions around the theme "Breaking Barriers and Creating Autism-friendly Environments."
Dr. Kiti Randal Biosketch from Canada, Beth Burt, president of Autism Society Inland Empire and Autism Society of California, Jekereen Barrozo, a school-based Occupational Therapist for Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) and Kelly Londenberg, a para-educator for RCOE gave speeches on autism. Yao Hui, vice president of Nanjing Brain Hospital, stated that professionals in autism face a big challenge due to a lack of systematic training and the high incidence of autism among Chinese children.
She Hongyu, Deputy General Secretary of the Amity Foundation, declared that the past ten-plus years have seen explosive growth in the number of children with autism, raising demands for the rehabilitation industry. Meanwhile, a lot of private rehabilitation institutions have sprung up.
Amity expected the seminar to provide clear insight into learning principles, characteristics, and potential learning advantages of children with autism as well as building learning support systems for relevant doctors, teachers, parents, and institutions.
During the last two decades, the rate of autism grew more than 100% in China's eastern Jiangsu Province, but there were difficulties in education for children with autism, including poor education and insufficient education resources and social support.
- Translated by Karen Luo
