China Connections
Jasmine Miller
Jasmine (centre) with staff from the Amity Children's Development centre
Head Teacher at New Struan School, Jasmine Miller, presented at an International Autism Conference last week and chats to us about her trip.
Recently, I accepted an invitation to present at an International Autism conference in Nanjing, China. The conference took place on the 18th and 19th of October as part of the Amity Foundation in Nanjing.
The Amity Foundation endeavours to provide humanitarian assistance to people with special needs in China. As the first organisation of its kind in Nanjing, it was registered as a non profit organisation and went into operation in early 2002 to serve adults between 16 and 40 with learning or intellectual disabilities and those with mild mental health conditions.
The Amity Centre for Children was set up in 2008. It strives to serve children with autism to cope with problems on learning and development by providing professional evaluation, early education and support for social adaptation, as well as training and group activities for parents. I spent a day visiting the Children’s Centre observing practise and answering questions from staff who work hard to understand autism and put in the right strategies of support.
The conference had speakers from the USA, Hong Kong and China and topics covered included focusing on the holistic development of children with autism, social skills, emotional skills and family support. I shared information on assessment and the work we have done at New Struan School on the development of personalised learning plans and monitoring and tracking progress. There was a lot of interest generated in the school and our focus on a 24 hour learning approach.
The International Autism Conference
A lot can be gained from sharing practice with others both at home and abroad. Our next steps involve formulating a plan with the Director of the Children’s Development Centre in Nanjing to link with our school.
We look forward to welcoming a visit from them in the near future as we build our international links at New Struan School
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