Autism and Talent

National Autism Association in Kosovo – within the campaign “Autism and Talent” on 20 April 2015, besides the concert with autistic genius, Mr. Derek Paravicini from London, in cooperation with and support of the Austrian Embassy has also organized roundtable to discuss autism experiences in Kosovo and beyond.
Participants were representatives from civil society organizations dealing with autism, local and international experts, representatives of the central level and municipal level institutions and organizations that support developments in this area and health in general: the Excellency, the Ambassador of Austria in Kosovo, Dr. Johann Brieger experts of “Rainman House” from Vienna – Austria, Dr. Teresa ZOTTL and Dr. Anton Distelberger, and Elisabeth Campestrini, health systems experts, Professor Adam Ockelford, genius music teacher Derek Paravicini, Dr. Aferdita Uka, who represented the Ministry of Health and Jeta Deva and Mimoza Gashi Faton Peci, the Adviser to the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports, and Dr. Arben Viti, Director of the Department of Health and Social Welfare in the Municipality of Prishtina etc . Round table was moderated by a representative of Solidar Suisse, Ilir Hoxha.
Solidar Suisse KoSana within Kosana program has supported National Autism Association in Kosovo since 2013. Support is extended to assess the current status of services, the incidence of children with autism as well as evaluating the burden of families. Kosana project, will support the development of ideas and models that can be adopted in Kosovo care to address the needs of children with autism and dynamically to generate coordination of various actors in Kosovo who are engaged in this regard. All this in order to inform and to influence the relevant institutions and public policies, in particular the Ministry of Health and the new funding scheme for state health. But not only that; the final goal is the policies and conditions that offers future health system to be more favorable for this specific group of people.
This debate was continued with a special and impressive concert from the genius with autism, Mr. Derek Paravicini from London, who had intended to raise funds for services of children with autism. Numerous individual donations from businesses and organizations were donated to help this initiative. The initiative has had a national visibility through partnership with Koha Vision.