Autism confab slated in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines – The first regional conference on autism disorder will be held at the SM Trade Hall on October 23 and 24.

To be conducted by the Autism Society of the Philippines-Cebu Chapter, the conference will be a two-day regional event with a theme, "The Spinning Truth behind the Disorder."

The ASP has lined up professional speakers from Manila and Chicago in the United States as main discussants, some of whom are doctors, lawyers, and college professors.

The conference will provide participants with different perspectives in understanding the nature of autism and how it affects the children. It will give some tips in the proper management of those affected, including the family and the community.

The organizer hopes to pull around 50 people for the conference. There will be a pre-registration fee of P2, 000.00. The conference will be open to parents, health workers, teachers, social workers and other personnel who directly work with children with disability.

In its website, www.autismsocietyph.org, one of the goals of the ASP is for the underprivileged and underdeveloped areas to have access to intervention services. It aims to put up a nationwide network of chapters in key cities of the country.

ASP is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of persons with autism. It is comprised of families, teachers, therapists, institutions and other individuals whose lives have been touched by autism.

It currently has 40 chapters, covering the northern and southern parts of the country, and continues to grow. (FREEMAN)