Teaching to autistic kids: a research project for Italy

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Hello all,
I'm back after a lot of time. Eventually I found a way to give an education to my 6 yo autistic son. He is doing fine and I have to thank you also for this.
I'm committed with autism and disability communities here in Italy, as I promised myself. There's a lot to do, I think my generation will not be enough for a real acknowledgement of the need to support disability rights ad advocacy.
I want today to support this project by a researchers team. This is unique in its kind in Italy and we need things like that, to build good practices for the future.

The project is named "educational energy" and is taking part in a funraising event for startups (edisonstart) connected with social network. One of the parameters for funding is achieve many votes from people. Here's the link:
http://www.edisonstart.it/idee/energia-educativa

I will translate for those that are not familiar with italian.
If you like it and want to vote, you can di it clicking on the heart-shaped button.

OUR IDEA
A child with a motor issue obtains a therapy based on scientific research findings. A child with a learning issue gets an education based on common sense. We want to bring to all special needs children the best education based on scientific research findings. We created for this reason tice centers, learning centers where children learn using innovative methodologies with scientific validation

GOALS AND BENEFICIARIES
We want to invest on applied research to find effective methodologies to empower special needs children learning (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, intellectual disability, autism). We want to turn research findings to methodologies for schools. We want to create "educational power stations" (the funding is supported by an energy production company) all over Italy, transforming young education professionals in smal businessman.

STRENGHTS
ENERGY: we bring in our country the stronger, clean and renewable energy: children's learning. BUSINESS: we are a private business that fights to improve state education. RESEARCH: we invest on research to make innovation everyday. REPLICABILITY: we use a scientific and organizational algorithm to replicate effects in different locations.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES
I don't know if I should write it because It can seem eccentric, but I don't want to lie. We expect to change the world. We will change it improving teaching and special needs kids education. We believe to create 6 new educational centers in 3 years, teaching to 2000 special needs kids and provide training to 100 teachers.

Hi Claudia,

I have been browsing the PDD-NOS/classic autism forum, as well as this forum, and am in admiration of what you are doing for autism awareness and "doing something" pertaining to the attainment of autistic people's highest potentials in Italy.

Is there much autism awareness in Italy? As for the US, especially before the 1980's, there was an awareness, on the part of psychologists and people in contact with them, with an entity known as "autism." It had not yet penetrated, in any meaningful way, the public consciousness IMO. Perhaps the inclusion of Aspergers, during the 1980's, as an "autism spectrum disorder" did much to increase that awareness, as well as the movie "Rain Main" (and fascination with people with savant abilities). I wonder if that's the state of affairs in Italy now---that you're on the verge of a great flowering of autism awareness there.

Good luck in your pursuit.

As for me, I'm a 53 year old person who didn't speak until age 5, was probably hyperlexic, had problems in social areas, and was thought of as "weird." I was written off when I was very young--it was recommended that my parents institutionalize me. However, my mother persisted with doing things similar to what BlondeAmbition was doing with her older son--flash cards, etc. (No tablets, computers, etc, though LOL) Finally, by the time I was 6, I was able to speak like any normal kid that age; whereas I didn't speak at all at age 5. Of course, I still had problems socially. I would go up to a fat person and ask, "Why are you fat?," for example.

At the present time, I have been employed for 33 years at the same place, am married and own a co-op. I learned to drive a car at age 37, and graduated from college at age 45.

Thanks for listening. Have a nice day.