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Kari Steindal: “A society that can cope with autism can deal with all other forms of disability”

The Council of Europe has just set up a committee of experts on the education and integration of children with autism, chaired by Kari Steindal, educationalist and principal adviser to the Autism Unit of the National Autism Network of Norway, University of Oslo. She hopes to increase public understanding of the complexities of autism and stresses the importance of early care and education for children affected by it.

Interview (06.04.2004)

Question: Some countries estimate that one child in 1000 will suffer from autism, with a ratio of four boys to one girl. What do we know about autism and what exactly does it mean?

Kari Steindal: Firstly, autism isn’t an illness but a range of syndromes resulting in serious disabilities, and we know little about its exact prevalence and its causes. The signs are disturbances in social interaction, communication and behaviour. There is no treatment, so suitable education is essential to help these children. Autism – we also call it “autistic spectrum” – may be the most difficult disability of all, because it’s “invisible” from the outside. Children don’t understand the world around them; they don’t understand what they are suffering from, so they can hardly make others understand.

Question: What are your expert group’s priorities and will you suggest working methods or avenues to explore?

Kari Steindal: We want to pool our experience and good practices. The most important thing is that children with autism should be educated without being cut off from others and should have the most normal schooling possible. In Norway autistic children go to ordinary schools, but receive help from a special teacher during classroom time, or some of it. Care is provided individually, on a local basis. There isn’t just one form of autism, but as many forms as there are people affected, and each care plan is a project in itself, geared to the child’s needs. Support must be given as early as possible, in kindergarten for instance, because it helps to prevent the emergence of further disabilities. Early care can also prevent the onset of psychiatric disorders in adolescence.

Question: So far the Council of Europe has mainly done “overall” work on physical, sensory and mental disabilities. How will this work on a specific disability mesh with the Council’s general policy in this area?

Kari Steindal: We usually say that a society that can cope with autism can deal with all other disabilities, because autism combines the entire range of difficulties on its own – both recognition and care of the condition and the risk of excluding the people affected. If Europe cooperates in helping people with autism and helps to meet the huge demands of this disability, it will be better equipped to support all other forms of disability.