Dental service for children of the Regional Centers for Autism

Learning Skills to Toddlers, A Program for Parents.

Foundation brings in a new didactic DVD package.

Albanian Children Foundation brings the new instrument in the field of therapeutic education for children with autism spectrum disorder. It is “Learning Skills to Toddlers, A Program for Parents”, a project which has come as a collaboration of the foundation and “Autism Speaks” and the University of “Connecticut” and is genuinely a research sponsored by ” Autism Speaks “and National Institute of Health in the US.

The project which has already begun in December 2014, comes in the form of a composite material from 6 DVD 6 chapters and 4 chapters as a textbook. It teaches parents step-by-step how to work with their children. Filming materials of 6 DVD package presents concrete examples of therapy guidelines and processes with video clips recorded specially for this purpose, and correctly oriented toward the parents how to do the right thing with their children to succeed.

This pack brings up to another level the foundation work in the most remote areas of the country, where quality services will take time to be introduced. So families living in remote areas and have no possibility of being close to a therapist, can be informed and educated through this very worthwhile program visually.

The Therapeutic program which is believed to be the best in the world for the moment, is designed by professors Deborah Fein and Lynn Brennan that a good part of our audience know them through their books translated and published in Albanian. Currently the project it is extended to 4 cities: Tirana, Elbasan, Korça and Berat.

The Foundation has the copyright to the text in Albania as well as the right to distribute this material and republish the material for Albanian speaking families in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, Serbia etc.

Ambassador of China, H.E Mrs.. Jiang Yu visited the Autism Center

Dr.Liri Berisha,Global Autism Achievement Award.

The Foundation at the Prague Forum ON INVESTING IN YOUNG CHILDREN GLOBALLY

The American National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and the American Institute of Medicine in partnership with the Open Society Foundation (OSF) and the ISSAP Organization gathered on 4 November 2015 in Prague, experts and heads of international organizations, universities and agencies, for the Forum on Investing in young Children Globally. We ended the 15 years era of Millennium Development Goals and from September 2015 the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals where the development of children and early intervention occupy a specific and important place for the 15 years to come. Prague Forum, with a view to reach out to recommendations on local and regional policies, future studies and new services, was built as a platform for discussion of global actors among the most important in the field. Dr. Liri Berisha President of the Albanian Children Foundation, was invited to the Forum to introduce the model of early intervention on autism in Albania, chosen by organizers as one of the ‘best practices’ in the region. In her speech Dr. Liri Berisha, expressing her gratitude and appreciation for this invitation, said: “I think our history is generally a success story. Above all we have revived hope in a poor country with many problems where, despite progress, the burden on households remains high “. In his speech, Dr. Ariel Çomo Scientific and Research director of the Regional Center for Autism mentioned, inter alia, the importance from the beginning given to the research and data collection on implementation of the program in Tirana as a key element in the progress of early intervention programs in children with developmental problems.

At the conclusion of the Forum, the  Final Report compiled on the basis of referred data and discussions will be sent to the American Government to develop further policies and initiatives in the field of developmental problems.


Albanian Children Foundation becomes member of Autism European Organization.

Albanian Children Foundation empowers the techniques of intervention for children with autism.

Now adult children suffering from autism do not feel abandoned anymore. Intervention opportunities for this age are becoming real for the first time in Albania. Thanks to the latest techniques being introduced by the Albanian Children Foundation, the Regional Center for Autism in Farka has provided its therapists with the most recently method, “Pivotal Response treatment” that helps adult children to easily develop skills acquired through individual therapy, in any other premises that the child goes.

Regional Center for Autism in Farka put another milestone in terms of treating Autism spectrum disorder expanding its professionals’ vision. With the support of the Albanian Children Foundation, the Regional Autism Center held a few day training for its staff of therapists with new methods of treatment for children affected by the autism spectrum disorder. For this purpose, with the recommendation of the “Autism Speaks” International Organization, the Foundation has invited to Albania two trainers from California, US that are part of one of the most avanguard communities in the application of modern methods of autism spectrum disorder. They are Janice Chan and Tiffany Wang of the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, which are experts specialized in one of the latest and contemporary methods called “Pivotal Response Teaching” (PRT).

Under the guidance and assistance of the two trainers, PRT methods is introduced for the first time in Albania by Albanian Children Foundation for the professionals working with children in the Regional Center for Autism in Farka. This training would not have been possible without the chain of training currently available in the ABA, which principles are applied in the Center.

Ms. Tiffany Wang, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Rady Children’s Hospital, San
Diego says: The Pivotal Response Treatment pays much attention and takes advantage is that it focuses in motivating the child. First we see what the child likes more and after we receive these preferences, we keep the level of motivation so that he might be ready and disposed to be learned. The advantage of this method from the others is its naturalness. So, this can develop into any environment from teacher, parent or therapist and skill’s development is easier at the therapy rooms, at home or in class.

But what are the benefits for children affected by autism spectrum by implementing this method?

Janice Chan, expert at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, says: What we are doing at the Autism Center in Farka is moving this intervention from one to one therapy to group therapy. I was informed that the Albanian Children Foundation is preparing for the opening of a center with different classes for older children and what brings this training is to use this method in classes. This model empowers the treatment received till now and raises it to a new level to intervene in more complicated and problematic cases of autism spectrum disorder. This working model after learned from the therapists, adds the interventionist techniques skills, which in other words means: all this will be translated into interventions to a greater number of children, whether they are older or untreated before.

International Autism Congress in Kuwait honors Dr.Liri Berisha with the Gartitude Award.

Denada, mamja Emilisë , sfidon Autizmin e së bijës duke sjellë në jetë djem binjakë në ditën ndërkombëtare të Autizmit. (EN)

Denada Çapi: Autism is not a tragedy, the ignorance is!