Autism Society of Serbia

11 000 Belgrade * St.Gundulicev venac 40* Phone/Fax: ++381 11 3391051*
Transfer account: 205-13729-29
E-mail: AUTISMPR@EUNET.YU and AUTISM@BEOTEL.YU

The President of the main board of the Society: VESNA PETROVIC, ++381 63 820 55 55
E-mail: AUTISMPR@EUNET.YU

The Secretary of the main board of the Society: NATALIJA LAZIC, ++381 11 759 058
The Informative Center: MILAN AND JELENA MARKOVIC, ++381 11 444 30 64
E- mail: AUTISM@BEOTEL.YU

    When a small group of parents and professionals founded the Autism Society in 1977, there was almost no knowledge of autism in Serbia. Over the last 28 years, the Society has developed into a strong, acknowledged, voluntary organization and achieved many important goals concerning both the status of autistic persons and their families, and in general awareness and comprehension of the problem among parents, professionals and whole Society. Due to the effort of the Society, the rights of people with autism for specialized education, health care and Social Security are lawfully regulated and protected.
    The Main Board and the Assembly of the Society consists of parents from whole Serbia. The part of the Society is also the Expert group, advisory body, which all the activities performs also volunteer. The Society has its sections in Kragujevac, Nis, Novi Sad, Cacak, Pozarevac, Kovacica, Jagodina, Kosovska Mitrovica which perform program's activities in local communities.
     Confronted with non-existence of institutions for stay and treatment of autistic individuals, initiative, and financial support, the Society has initiated the establishing of next institutions:
         - With Elementary School "Anton Skala" in Belgrade: two elementary education classes and school class for extended education of autistic individuals (for 20 pupils)
         - With Elementary School " Dusan Dugalic" in Belgrade: three elementary education classes (for 12 pupils)
         - With Elementary School in Kovacica: one elementary education class (for 6 pupils)
         - With Elementary School "Mara Mandic" in Pancevo: one elementary education class (for 6 pupils)
         - Daily Center for autistic children and youth "Olga Hadzi-Antonovic", St.Kornelija Stankovica 13, Belgrade (capacity 30 persons)
         - Daily Center for autistic children, St.Diljska 12,Belgrade (capacity 35 children)
        - Stationary center for autistic children and youth St.Autoput bb, Bezanijska kosa, Zemun (capacity 47 persons)
         - Daily Center for preschool and school children-Kragujevac (capacity 12 pupils)
         - Daily Center- Jagodina (capacity 6 children)
         - Daily Center- Nis (capacity 6 children)
         - Daily Center- Novi Sad (capacity 18 children)
         - Daily Center- Pozarevac (capacity 6 children)

    The Society actively participates in the functioning of these institutions, especially the one for permanent residence, focussing on the realization of lawfully guaranteed rights of autistic persons, as well as on constant improvement of conditions and treatments in these institutions, supervising their proper functioning.
     One of the important activities of the Society is organizing meetings, seminars and workshops on subjects related to autism for parents and professionals. The Society is one of the main sources of information on autism. The Society's Information Centre runs a library consisting of books, publications, tapes and other material. It has also published several brochures and other material on autism.
    The Society actively seeks for donations aiming at improving the quality of life for autistic persons both at home and in institutions. It also organizes group summer and winter-holidays partly supported by donators. The Society maintains contacts with other humanitarian organizations at home and abroad.

     Since it has being established, the Society has been constantly organizing seminars for parents and experts with all sorts of themes, and increasingly from the year 1996-2002.The themes of the seminars were defined by parents and experts, based on the given materials. The seminars took place in Belgrade, Kragujevac, Jagodina, Pozarevac, Nis, Novi Sad, Uzice.On each seminar averagely were involved 70 people. Based on the records, for the past 4 years, 1848 people attended the seminars.
     One of the very successful seminars, the Society has organized in The Institute of Health.The Seminar attended 150 pediatricians and medical staff.
The year 1998, the Society organized four-days seminar with lecturers Glenis Jones and Rita Jordan from England, eminent experts. It was the best-attended seminar - 150 people in one day. All costs of this seminar the Society took care of.
     The Society itself was also financing visits of parents and experts on conventions in San Diego, Budapest and Barcelona.
     The Informative Center of the Society based on their experiences has been doing publishing and organizing exposition of fine arts of autistic individuals in Dom Omladina in the year 1998, where took place art pieces from whole Serbia.The Informative Center also organized many concerts in Sava Center for autistic individuals in cooperation with orchestra of Dusan Skovran.
     The Society has successfully organized therapeutically recreational stays in nature (at the sea and at the mountain) from the year 1991 to 2001.These stays especially helped parents of younger children.

     The Society has constantly been involved in improving the treatment of the autistic individuals in cooperation with named above institutions and experts.
    The Society is a member of the Coordinating Board of disabled organizations of The Republic Serbia and the member of The Council of Disabled with the Serbian government.

    The Society has successfully realized several projects:
        - Work occupation of the autistic individuals in the daily center "Dr.Olga Hadzi Antonovic" with help of the Save the Children organization
        - Work occupation of the autistic individuals in the Stationary center with help of the I.O.C.C.
        - The truth and prejudices of autism with help of the Ministry for Social Work

    The Society has been giving constant support and help to families in expertly solving the problems, acquisition of medicaments, financial help and other sorts of help here and abroad. The main commitment and aim of the Society is to look after the interests in the broadest sense of individuals with autism and their families, to improve the quality of life of autistic persons by promoting understanding, acceptance and full community inclusion.

    To achieve these aims, the Society is directed to:
         - create conditions which will enable an early identification of autism and hence to an early start of treatment
         - determine the exact number of persons with autism in Serbia
         - to include children with autism in regular education system
         - stimulate activities which are aimed at creating education, guidance and care facilities
         - setting up new classes for children with autism within existing schools for learning difficulies
         - the foundation of communities and protected workshops for adolescents and adults create regional sections of the Society which will lead to the improvement in the field of diagnosis, increasing awareness of the problem and a general improvement in treatment of peaple with autism and their families
         - the foundation of new regional work shops and permanent residental institutions improve current programs and treatments in institutions dealing with autism maintain cooperation with similar associations and humanitarian organizations from abroad
join international societies for autism
         - encourage colleges of higher education to include the field of autism into their educational programs
         - improve current law regulations concerning autistic persons and their families, especially in the field of health and social protection
         - constantly provide information, promote publications, organize courses, conferences and seminars

    The Society has constant communication with similar societies from the whole world: USA,Canada,England,Ireland,Spain,Hungary and Greece, and the communication with institutions which are involved with researches and the treatment of the autistic individuals.