World Autism Awareness Day has been celebrated every year since April 2, 2008. HE Established Resolution of the UN General Assembly of 18 December 2007, expressing its concern about the high proportion of children with autism in all regions of the world.

The theme of World Autism Awareness Day 2023 is “Transformation: Towards a Neuro-Inclusive World for All”. event organizers decided step away from treating people with autism or improving their lives and focus on recognizing, supporting, inclusion and advocating for their rights.

Autism – a persistent violation of the development of the nervous system, which manifests itself in early childhood and does not depend on gender, race or socioeconomic status. The term “autism spectrum disorder” (ASD) encompasses a number of specific characteristics. With appropriate support, sensitivity and acceptance, people with ASD can enjoy equal opportunities and participate fully and productively in society.

Autism is primarily characterized by unique features in terms of social interaction, non-standard ways of learning, intense interest in certain subjects, propensity for ritual behavior, difficulties in daily communication, and non-standard way of processing information from the senses.

Symptoms of autism can be detected in early childhood, but the condition is usually diagnosed at a later stage. People with autism often have co-morbidities and illnesses, such as epilepsy, depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and behavioral problems such as sleep disorders or self-harm. The level of intellectual ability of such people varies widely, from severe cognitive impairment to high intelligence.

autism according to WHO To present About 1 in 100 children. This is an average estimate, varies from study to study, and some are significantly higher. Thus, according to the statistics of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), ASD is seen in every 54th child, which is 10% more than the 2018 data. Boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. According to the World Health Organization, the number of children with autism is increasing by 13% each year.

According to this information The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading public health organization in the USA, has ASD in about 1% of the world’s population, that is; More than 75 million people. The country with the highest rate of being diagnosed with autism in the world is Qatar, and the country with the lowest is France.

The causes of ASD are still under investigation, among the main causes are called genetic and environmental, namely heredity and the influence of the environment. In recent years, scientists have discovered dozens of genes associated with autism, but mutations in them cannot fully explain a single development of this disease in general and its individual symptoms in particular.

The diagnosis of autism cannot be made with tests and a short examination, even by a few specialists. Diagnosis is based on behavioral criteria and requires a series of observations of the child in various situations. At the same time, early diagnosis and treatment are vital for a person’s further growth and development.

There is currently no cure for RAS. However, evidence-based psychosocial interventions dataFor example, behavioral therapy and education programs for parents and other caregivers can alleviate communication and social behavior difficulties with a positive impact on an individual’s well-being and quality of life.

One out of every 88 children in Russia is born with autism.

Currently, in the Russian education system, according to the monitoring of the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation (2022), including 45,888 children with ASD.

The dynamics of the 17% increase in the number of employees compared to 2021 were revealed, the increase was 6,771 people. Overall, there is a uniformly small increase (12-18%) in the number of children with ASD in the education system in all federal districts. The greatest dynamics emerged in the Central Federal District with 27%. Volga Federal District and Siberian Federal District increased by 19% and 16%, respectively. This may indicate the development of a system for identifying and diagnosing children at risk of developing ASD in the regions of these districts, as well as the readiness of the subjects of the Russian Federation to include such children in the education system.

Since September 2018, testing of an educational program for preschool children with autism began in Russia. The program aims to teach children independence, reduce dependency on parents and successfully integrate into society in the future. A special educational standard has been developed for the education and upbringing of children with autism in the Russian Federation. programs are created and methods of correctional assistance, foreign psychological and pedagogical approaches are adapted. Also, to help teachers and parents, on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Education, on the website of the Institute of Correctional Pedagogy of the Russian Academy of Education, there are recommendations for psychological and pedagogical support for students with ASD during distance education.

In November 2018, Russia Today Media Group, with support from the Naked Heart Foundation and the Vykhod Autism Foundation in Russia, launched Autism Mechanics, its first virtual reality (VR) project. The corresponding mobile application allows the user to feel like a person with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and see the world through their eyes. At the same time, the user can not only passively perceive the story, but also interact with it: walk, pick up objects, communicate with other characters.

In 2019, the project won the All-Russian “Union of Words and Kindness” competition in the Digital Project nomination, received the silver award of the international Communicator Awards, and also won the World Association of Newspapers and News (WAN-IFRA). The European Digital Media Awards took second place in the category “Best use of online video, including VR”.

The Autism Speaks Foundation has launched Light It Up on April 2 every year since 2008, in solidarity with people with autism and their families around the world, to draw the attention of politicians and ordinary citizens to the problems of autism. blue campaign. Blue is the official color of the organization. Buildings in the participating countries are illuminated with blue spots today. In Russia, the action has been taking place since 2013, the first participating city was Moscow, then St. Petersburg, Belgorod, Voronezh, Kostroma, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Simferopol, Tyumen and other cities.

The material has been prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources.