24 Chilean professionals participate in the University's first course on Autism Spectrum Disorder
24 professionals, teachers, psychologists, counselors and speech therapists from the Colina district (Santiago de Chile) attended the training course on Autism Spectrum Disorder from November 18 to 21, organized by the School of Education and Psychology of the University.
The course was requested by the Government of Colina with the purpose of improving the quality of care received by people diagnosed with ASD, as well as to offer, in this care, support that integrates the different needs that these people may have. For this reason, among the professionals who received scholarships from the Chilean Ministry of Education were teachers of formal Education , special Education , a guidance counselor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist and a speech therapist.
During these days, they deepened their knowledge of diagnosis, intervention and family support, and had the opportunity to learn about the work being done in different educational centers. Specifically, they visited the Isterria Special Education center, the El Molino high school and the Vedruna high school . There, they shared a meeting with the specialized teachers, got to know the facilities and methodologies of these institutions.
"This course has allowed them to understand more clearly the characteristics of ASD at different stages and its impact on development and learning. In addition, they have learned about criteria to differentiate ASD from other disorders and to guide an initial assessment . Finally, we wanted them to acquire protocols and intervention strategies applicable in the classroom and other environments," explains Araceli Arellano, academic coordinator of the course and teacher at the School.
The University professors who participated in the course were the researchers of the Neurodevelopment and Learning group : Araceli Arellano, Leyre Gambra, Carmen Gándara, Celeste Reyes and Nerea Crespo. Also collaborating were the professionals Óscar Arriazudelegate Santa Catalina high school delegate ), Yoana Romero and Amaya Iturralde (ANFAS psychologists), and Noelia Ruiz (Teresianas high school counselor). The closing of the course was in position of Sara Magallón, professor and researcher at the University.
