Autism-Europe aisbl is an international association whose main objective is to advance the rights of persons with autism and their families and to help them improve their quality of life.
Autism-Europe plays a key role in raising public awareness, and in influencing the European decision-makers on all issues relating to autism, including the promotion of the rights of people with autism and other disabilities involving complex dependency needs.
One of the objectives of Autism-Europe is to raise awareness of fundamental rights, of the legislative processes existing for people to protect their rights at a national level and whether these processes are accessed and appealed to. Empowering parents and self-advocates is very important.
It is also essential to raise awareness of professionals as regard the special needs of people with ASD.
Autism-Europe therefore regularly publishes toolkits and trainings.
The right to education is key to allow persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorders to develop to the full of their potential and be included in the community. Legal instruments exist at the European level to provide children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders with adapted education according to their specific needs.
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Autism-Europe’s recommendations on the education and (re)habilitation of persons with ASD served as the basis for developing training modules for policy decision makers, service providers and the staff of institutions on a rights-based approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders.
A first version of these training modules has been elaborated with the collaboration of the AE national member Autismo Italia, the Italian National Council on Disability and the material on assessment of Quality of Life of persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities provided by the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Florence.
Parts of these training modules have been experimented in practice in several international conferences as well as in a traditional institution for persons with ASD and other complex dependency needs disabilities.
It is important that health care providers and policy makers acknowledge that many people with ASD have special needs which may require modification of standard health care practices and service models in order to cope with their specific difficulties.
The present document is not intended to advise on how quality health and habilitation services for persons with ASD can be developed. It can, however, provide some ideas that can be useful to anyone wishing to advocate for the right to healthcare and habilitation of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as to provide parents with some information that can help them to get the best possible care for their children with ASD.
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