By Karen Purdie | Project Leader
In February, IRODA hosted its second annual Central Asia Autism Network (CAAN) conference, which brought together parents and professionals from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. During this three-day event stakeholders participated in training and discussions that will help move the work among people with autism in Central Asia into new and exciting areas. Conference participants benefited greatly from presentations given by guest speakers from Bangladesh, India, and Russia. Likewise, the staff of IRODA left the conference energized: hearing from others who have pioneered improvements in autism care despite facing the same types of challenges that exist in Tajikistan, has brought both a renewed hope and excitement for the future of IRODA.
Immediately following the conference, Tajikistan reached a milestone in the treatment of autism. The national Ministry of Health and IRODA came to an agreement that will allow IRODA to train professionals at the key diagnostic centers in Tajikistan in the administration of an autism diagnostic tool. Since beginning its work in 2010, IRODA has advocated for both official recognition of autism in Tajikistan, and for national use of an evidence-based diagnostic tool for young children. The recent decision from the Ministry of Health has been a great encouragement to the IRODA staff and families who continue to work hard and persevere through many challenges to see the situation for people with autism in their country transformed.
With support from the Ministry of Health and improved processes for diagnosis, IRODA anticipates that the number of children correctly diagnosed with autism at an early age will increase rapidly. Your continued support allows IRODA to provide these services to children and their families in Tajikistan. As IRODA staff and families celebrate milestones and moments that will change the future for people with autism in Tajikistan, we hope that you too can share in the excitement of being part of an organization involved in such ground breaking work.
Thank you once again for your support.
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