The number of children with diagnosed general learning disabilities has risen considerably over the past several years. According to Synapsis Foundation data, some 30,000 individuals may be suffering from autism in Poland. If you include parents and siblings, another 100,000 people in Poland are indirectly affected by the condition.
There is a shortage of facilities offering free social skill development activities for children aged 6 - 13 in the Podkarpacie Province. In cognitive terms, intellectually well functioning children are capable of attending school but have difficulties interacting socially.
The project aimed at helping children threatened by social exclusion because of learning disabilities improve interactions with peers and adults in their immediate vicinity and develop social skills.
The project enabled 24 children with autism and 16 healthy children to engage in joint activities and learn to work together. As a result healthy children came to accept and make friends with children with learning difficulties.
The project delivered two sets of activities for children. Project beneficiaries also included parents of children with learning disabilities: 40 parents took part in a development support workshop. A scientific conference was organised at the University of Rzeszów and it was attended by over 200 individuals. The conference helped reach out to a larger audience in schools, pre-schools, welfare and therapy centres, as well as academics and parents.
Project beneficiaries included children with the autism spectrum disorder in the Podkarpacie Province.
The partnership with the 'From the Beginning' Foundation helped design the workshop and deliver some of the sessions.
University of Rzeszów, the other project partner, provided its expertise and helped organise of a scientific conference on the subject at hand.