BELGRADE, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Serbia marked the World Autism Awareness Day on Monday by promoting new ways of assisting persons with autism and their families through online counselling, as well as listening to appeals of experts in the area who warn that there is a lot more to be done to improve their living quality.
The central ceremony that marked the World Autism Awareness Day was held at the Children Cultural Center in Belgrade, where around 100 children with autism from Belgrade prepared an exhibition attended by parents, non-government organization (NGO) activists, doctors, experts and officials.
Mirko Gojic, organizer of the ceremony and the chairman of the board of the association for assistance to people with autism of Belgrade, told Xinhua that around 1 percent of world's population is born with autism, and that thus in Serbia around 70,000 people and their families cope with this issue.
He said that the aim of the activity was to raise awareness about their problems, as the organization does every year, hoping to contribute to concrete steps towards fulfilling the needs of children and adults with autism.
One of the new ways of providing assistance, especially to those that do not live in the capital of Belgrade, where most day care centers are located - is the website "Counselling Clinic" (Savetovaliste) presented at a press conference in Belgrade.
The project realized by the association for assistance to people with autism of Serbia, offers parents and caretakers of autist children and adults free online video conferences with experts in medicine, psychology, psychiatry and legal issues.
Vesna Petrovic, president of the managing board of the association, and a mother of a 39-year-old son with autism, said that proper family support is crucial for them to lead normal life and even get employed.
"This way, trough the digital platform, people outside Belgrade that could hardly get counselling in their hometowns will be able to post questions directly to experts in various fields," she explained at a press conference.
State Secretary Nenad Neric said that the ministry of labor supports such efforts, and that although 5.5 million RSD (50,000 euro) allocated for NGO projects in this area "does not seem much, it is 17 percent more than the year before, and ministry intends to follow this trend in future".
"A lot has been done in past years when it comes to the needs of the children with autism -- such as the establishment of day-care centers as well as the introduction of assistants that escort these kids to school or day-care centers. However, almost nothing has been done when it comes to the needs of the adult people with autism, and many families ask themselves frequently: what will happen with their loved ones when they grow up and there is no one left to take care of them," Gojic explained in a statement to Xinhua.
He concluded that all progress so far was made thanks to families whose members are diagnosed with autism such as his own, as he has a 32-year-old son coping with this issue.
"But there is a lot more to be done," he warns.
Following the six-year-long tradition, the Parliament and many other prominent locations in Belgrade have been lighted in blue colour since Sunday evening - to raise awareness that people with autism and their families make a significant part of the global population, and they need assistance of their governments and societies.
