Georgian Parliament marks World Autism Awareness Day with dedicated event

The Parliament of Georgia on Tuesday hosted an event to mark World Autism Awareness Day, bringing together representatives of the legislative and executive bodies as well as local authorities, officials from international and local non-governmental organisations and children with the autism spectrum disorder.

Speaker Shalva Papuashvili welcomed visitors with an address emphasising the importance of raising awareness about autism spectrum disorders.

Today's panel discussion will be devoted to discussing specific issues so that the Parliament hears opinions about what challenges remain, and what can be done to respond to them in terms of legislation and enforcement [...] We all have to help each other in order to be one big, harmonious society”, he said.

Baia Kvitsiani, the Chair of the Standing Parliamentary Council for the Protection of Children's Rights, said while progress had been made in inclusive education and teacher training, challenges remained.

While our Government and state have made significant progress in promoting inclusive education and teacher training, there are still global challenges that we must face together. Despite our many achievements, we must work collaboratively to overcome these challenges”, she said.

As part of the event, a panel discussion was held on the availability and effectiveness of support services or programmes for children with the autism spectrum disorder and their families.

The event also hosted an exhibition of drawings and a music performance by children with the disorder.