| Abstract: Asopormen is a non-profit institute working on behalf the people with learning and physical disabilities since 1965. It was founded by a group of visionary and responsible citizens who wanted to provide a possibility for the empowerment and improvement of the life quality for people with disability in a region of Colombia where there were not both facilities and professionals in the field. Thence Asopormen came to make a change and transform their reality, to convert the panorama of rehabilitation of our population into a possible scenario for a new way of life of the people with disabilities, their families and social environments; transforming the perception of the common people about diversity, aiming to lessen the levels of discrimination and disrespect for their rights while generating awareness towards a needed change on the health public policies, education, urban planning and assistance.
As the number of cases of people with autism increased in Colombia and there was not an institutional answer to approach their requirements at the time, Asopormen was a pioneer to offer a therapeutical service exclusively tailored for the population with ASD 15 years ago. Inviting experts from overseas whose experience and knowledge helped us to train our professional team and families and therefore being able to convince healthcare insurances and national government healthcare agencies to set up the first regulation that established a national program that attempted to meet autistic population requirements.
Nowadays the number of ASD cases in Colombia have grown. Several studies have demonstrated difficulty in collecting practices supported by evidence in the country. This presentation will outline the main components of intervention for children with ASD in Colombia. Also, several variables that impact or represent barriers to access treatment and options for an integral inclusion such as economic disparities, current political climate, the public health system in Colombia, among others. The presenter will also review information from an assessment of 35 institutions in 8 different cities in Colombia that provide services to children with ASD.
In 55 years of existence we have proposed and executed around 200 projects with public, private and international entities bound for different programs that are developed in the comprehensive care for our children, youth, adults and their families, making this part of the population visible for all. Intending that everyone becomes in guarantor of their rights as well as pursuing for their welfare and betterment of their life quality. Daily more than 800 children are beneficiaries of our programs. |