Autism project – IFMSA-Kurdistan

Name of the activity: Autism project

Country/NMO: IFMSA-Kurdistan (Iraq)

Program: Ethics and Human Rights in Health

Contact information: contact [email protected] to get in touch with the Activity Coordinator

Type of the activity: First-time Activity

Category: Education

Focus area: Medical Ethics (Patient Centered Care, Good Medical Practice, direct doctor-patient relationship), Rights of patients, doctors and medical students

Sustainable Development Goals addressed: SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

Problem statement:

Autistic children are the group that get discriminated due to their state in the community, our members need to be involved in projects that will gather students with this group of people and have contact with them to understand from them more  clearly, we see autistic children refused by few doctors to do surgery for them. Also showing care to the children is another way to reach the spirit and create contact with them. 

Target groups:

• General population

Beneficiaries:

• General population
• Medical students
• Other health professionals
• Children

Objectives:

• Promote awareness about the autism and its symptoms.
• Improving the mental health of autism patients.
• To show the children they are not alone also  to support them and their families.
• Increasing medical students education about autism.

Indicators of Success:

• We collected the feedbacks from the participants and the staff and manager of the autism center , we received many positive feedbacks , they really want this kind of project to be continued.
• The children were very excited and very happy about all things we did there.

The children hugging us were non verbal neither written feedback but it’s a feeling that can be expressed only with being present at that time.

• The students gained more information about autistic syndrome and it’s symptoms.

Methodology:

First of all we went to Austim Center in Koya there we talked to the manager of center about our plans and we started by wearing the funny clothes (by three of our members) so the children became happier and excited, then two of us started painting on children’s face by selecting the character that they want to be. After that we all joined them in playing and having fun and we made a great time for them.the health cares there discussed the children’s state and daily routines and how they respond and deal with them. Then we gifted the children lots of toys and they loved it, after that we thanked the manager for this service that he did for the center and trusting us and we gave them the certificate of thanking and some free doctor’s medical clinic tests for children and some Leaflets for patients parents.Finally we painted the wall of center by our hands and signed up our signatures so it will be a nice memorial day for them.

Plans for evaluation:

We decided to take the feedback verbally and discuss with the members, before the project the members didn’t have enough information about autistic syndrome and how response to autistic children reactions, after the project they received a lot of information about it and about responding and acting in front of them.

External collaborations:

none