The WHO recently revealed that worldwide 1 in 160 children has some degree of ASD. In our country the figure is even higher. Therein lies the importance of updating knowledge about ASD.

Given the great concern to provide quality education with equity to guarantee equal opportunities to the great diversity of students at all levels, the Inclusion and Disability Area belonging to the General Area of ​​Coordination of Rights and Duties for Comprehensive Training - AGDDFI, In conjunction with the Pedagogy in Differential Education, Pedagogy in Basic General Education and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education of the ULS, they organized the “Update Conference on Autism”, held recently in the Hexágono room of the Andrés Bello Campus of the University of La Serene.

The activity was divided into three days: the first was dedicated to ULS Pedagogy students; the second to teachers, ULS officials and other Higher Education institutions, and the third day aimed at teams from School Integration Programs - PIE, graduates of ULS Pedagogies.

During the conference, the importance of early detection, personalized intervention and continuous support for people with autism was also highlighted. Innovative strategies have been explored to adapt educational environments, promote inclusion and improve the quality of life of those on the Autism spectrum and their caregivers.

The speaker, Dr. Arlett Krause, made the exhibitions of the 3 days using a presentation with a black background and white letters as a proposal that attempts to apply universal design criteria in the exhibitions, since it is considered a strategy that allows addressing diversity from the design, planning and creation of teaching - learning. This was explained by the psychologist, who is Coordinator of the Network of Chilean State Universities for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and director and teacher of the Psychology degree at the University of La Frontera, who has led a series of update sessions at various universities in the country, events that have become a crucial platform for the dissemination of updated knowledge and innovative strategies to address the needs of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Another notable aspect of these conferences was the incorporation of multidisciplinary perspectives, bringing together experts in psychology, pedagogy, medicine and other relevant disciplines. This enriched the discussion and encouraged a comprehensive approach to addressing the complexities of ASD. Dr. Krause added that: “in the framework of this update seminar on Autism, it seems to me that the call has been super good and that shows that there is a great need for information on the subject, because indeed the inclusion of young people in the Autism spectrum and within the framework of neurodiversity requires understanding autism as a neurocognitive functioning that has particularities that impact learning and social inclusion processes. The main challenges are along the lines of guaranteeing support that cannot be reduced only to academics, but particularly to be able to accompany social insertion in the educational trajectory.”

Furthermore, he added that “these refresher sessions have not only contributed significantly to knowledge in the field of autism, but have also motivated participants to apply more informed and empathetic practices in their respective fields of work. The positive impact of these events is evident in the growing interest and commitment of the academic and professional community in addressing the needs of people with ASD in Chile. “In a continuing effort to foster understanding and improve practices related to autism in Chile.”   

On the other hand, the person in charge of Inclusion and Disability of the General Area of ​​Coordination of Rights and Duties for Comprehensive Training, Mg. Alejandra Galleguillos, maintained that "these Conferences allow the University to intervene in a certain way in the territory, providing updated knowledge about the spectrum of Autism in different groups, both at the undergraduate level and among education professionals who are currently practicing in different educational levels.

Appreciations of the participants

Paulina Vázquez, from the Cordillera de La Serena School, valued the holding of these Conferences, indicating that it is important to address these issues considering that at “levels from first to fourth grade we have children who constantly require our support. This day served me to reflect and to see the different challenges that arise daily, in addition to updating the different theories that I acquired in undergraduate school and that we must constantly be reviewing. A collaborative and enriching work experience when learning about the experience of other colleagues. The challenge will be to put what we have learned into practice and meet the needs of our students to support them in the best way possible.”

Likewise, Paulina Pizarro, secretary of the General Directorate of Student Affairs, pointed out that “it has been a very good thing that on this occasion they integrated the officials into this seminar on Pedagogical Strategies for diversity in the comprehensive support plan of the University and the students with ASD, because we, who also have contact with the students, do not know how to deal with it or do not know how to identify them, so it was very useful and we hope that in the future the invitation can be extended to more non-academic officials to participate.”

On the other hand, Nancy Olivares, Coordinator of the Pedagogy in Biology in Natural Sciences career, stated that “these conferences have been extremely interesting for us who are trainers of future high school biology teachers, and this topic is totally relevant to the era, knowing well what divergence is, knowing the difference between saying ASD and saying Autistic Behavior or talking about the autistic spectrum, allows us to plan our classes and thus serve all students who have this condition on the Autistic spectrum. Furthermore, thanks to the examples delivered today, it gives us signals that help us detect this condition and do our classes in a better way, improving quality.”

These refresher sessions have not only contributed significantly to knowledge in the field of Autism, but also motivated participants to apply more informed and empathetic practices in their respective fields of work. The positive impact of these events is evident in the growing interest and commitment of the academic and professional community in addressing the needs of people with ASD in our region and in our country.

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Written by Paz Montecinos Kam - Chings, DirCom