International conference on autism spectrum disorders and other mental conditions held at KFU
An international scientific and practical conference Science and Practice: The Paradigm of Differential Diagnostic Criteria for Educational Potential of Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Mental Disabilities was held at Kazan Federal University.
The event was conducted with support from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Welfare of Tatarstan, the Tatarstan Science and Technology Foundation, the Kazan Mayor’s Office, and the Russian Knowledge Society. Participants included principals of preschool educational institutions and specialists working with children with mental disabilities.
The conference objectives were to establish professional contacts and exchange scientific research results and practical experience in the field of psychological and pedagogical support for children with ASD and their families.
“Our task is to create fertile ground in the Republic of Tatarstan that enables early identification of children with ASD and other mental disabilities and provides them with comprehensive support throughout their lives. Implementing these ambitious goals requires synergy of efforts from the state, scientific community, educational institutions, and public organizations. Only through joint actions can we build an inclusive society where every child will have equal opportunities for development and full participation in life,” emphasized Elvira Sadretdinova, principal of the KFU kindergarten for children with autism spectrum disorders We Are Together.
Presentations were delivered by specialists from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Belarus, and Uzbekistan, addressing issues of diagnostic approach quality in assessing the educational potential of children with ASD.
“Currently, such tools are insufficiently developed in relation to Russian realities and the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard for preschool education, especially in the context of adaptation for specialized kindergartens and general-type institutions accepting children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. Our Republic is conducting extensive work to scale up best practices in supporting families with children with mental disabilities. The presentations from kindergarten No. 379 of Kazan and the KFU kindergarten We Are Together served as proof of this,” noted Svetlana Zakirova, leading consultant of the preschool education department at the Ministry of Education and Science of Tatarstan.
Following the conference, a decision was made to create a network community for cooperation between preschool institutions for children with ASD and to scale up in-depth psychological and pedagogical child development assessment diagnostics (developed by the author team of the We Are Together kindergarten) in kindergartens throughout Russia.