Burgos attracts new international students for autism training – Burgos

Fourteen students of Chilean origin came to Burgos to specialize for a week in support and intervention with people with autism and their families. This morning, the second international training organized by the “Miradas por el autismo” chair in collaboration with the Andrés Bello University of Chile was inaugurated at the Faculty of Law of the University of Burgos.

This was attended by Eliana Greca, Vice-Chancellor for Internationalization and Collaboration at the University of Burgos (UBU), Lele Cervo, Instructor and Representative of Andrés Bello University, Simona Palacios, Rector of Otismo Burgos, Miguel Gómez, Director of Miradas. Foundation and Jose Luis Cuesta, Director of the Miradas Chair for Autism at the University of Burgos.

In this way, a total of fourteen students, thirteen women and one man, and three professors from the Andrés Bello University in Chile, will participate in the course organized by the Miradas Foundation, in collaboration with the University’s Miradas Chair for Autism. de Burgos and Otismo Burgos, between January 30th and February 4th.

The participants, most of whom participated as students in the “Diploma of Educational and Social Inclusion of People with Autism Spectrum Condition”, organized jointly by the University of Chile with the Miradas por el Autismo Chair, traveled to the capital Burgos to train and learn in more depth the various key aspects in support processes for people with autism. , as well as procedures and services developed by the Burgos Autism Association and the Miradas Foundation.

Training will take place at both UBU and Autismo Burgos facilities, combining theoretical and other practical classes, so that students not only expand their knowledge about autism, their support needs, and intervention models, but from the hands of different Autismo Burgos professionals they can also learn about resources and procedures. And services developed by the Burgos entity, which is a reference at the national and international levels.

Within the course contents, both aspects affecting autistic people with associated intellectual disabilities and autistic people without intellectual disabilities throughout their life cycle will be addressed. Thus, during the week, the role of the trade union movement for the families of people with autism, the process of diagnosis and early intervention within the framework of the bbMiradas program – already implemented in 9 other Spanish provinces?; School stage, support during adolescence and young adulthood, services provided at a day centre, independent living and accommodation, among others.

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Late in the week, on Thursday at 10:30 am, the students will take a short break in their training process to attend the institutional reception given by the Mayor of Burgos, Daniel de la Rosa, in the city’s plenary hall, Hall of the Castilian Capital. Representatives of the Burgos Autism Association, the Miradas Foundation and representatives of Andrés Bello University will also attend the event.

In the words of José Luis Cuesta, who in turn is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Miradas Foundation, these exchanges with international students not only allow the transfer of knowledge and good practices developed from the experience accumulated with autistic people and their persons. Instead, it obliges those who work to improve their quality of life to continue searching for solutions with greater impact and efficiency in order to achieve their full inclusion and highest levels of well-being. Despite the fact that there are no government prevalence data in Spain, international references indicate that autism spectrum disorder occurs in 1 in 100 births (Autism Europe, 2020). Some research centers, such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the United States, put this number at 1 in 44 cases.

This high prevalence means that autism is considered an urgent public health issue to be addressed, as defined by the World Health Organization. In the case of Spain, this need has been included in the Spanish Strategy on Autism Spectrum Disorders, approved by the Government in 2015, and its specific action plan is expected to be drawn up throughout this year. Fundación Miradas is a social organization created in Burgos in 2013 whose mission is to build a better future for people with autism and their families, ensuring their legal protection and promoting research and innovation.

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To make all this possible, the Foundation, together with Autismo Burgos, is spearheading the bbMiradas programme; The TUTEA program to support legal capacity for people with autism and their families develops, participates in 4 European programs and promotes various research and innovation projects to improve the quality of life of people with autism, as well as education and training for professionals and families with autism. In 2022, its activities will directly impact more than 1,500 people.