About autism, with autism
On the central pages we have written with autism and autism. In fact, last May the International Congress for Autism Research was held in Donostia. Many media outlets noted that it was the second time it was held outside the United States and that it was the first time it was held in a country that was not Anglophone. In any case, we have paid more attention to the content than at the local level, and in this sense the congress has seemed very important, since the research they have presented opens windows to hope.
This is confirmed by Joaquín Fuentes, vice president of the World Association of Child Psychiatry and organizer of the congress. In fact, he explained the most significant results presented at the congress. Among other aspects, he highlighted progress in prevalence measurement and early diagnosis, prevention and treatments.
For example, they now know that before typical signs of autism appear, when the child is six months old, brain connections are not completed correctly. In addition, they have shown that the consumption of folic acid before, during and after pregnancy reduces the risk of autism in the child by 40%. And they have already started designing specific medications to treat autism.
However, Fuentes did not want to forget the complexity of the mixtures of the autism spectrum and its influence on the closest environment and society as a whole. That is why we have turned to Ramón Barinaga. Barinaga is the director of Gautena and Gautena the Gipuzkoan association of services and support to autists and their families. Therefore, he knows the daily lives of people with autism and their surroundings.
According to Barinaga, there is no revolutionary discovery on this day, but it is undeniable the value of the steps being taken every year to ensure the well-being of people with autism, protect rights and promote autonomy.
For example, a decision support application is being developed along with the Gaia telecom cluster, which will be presented soon. Barinaga himself believes that "that is the best thing: that the person with disabilities will use it herself and that she will tell us what she wants and what not."
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