The team of Anita Garibaldi Health Education and Research Center (CEPS/ISD) was present at the event “V Symposium Dialoguing about Autism – Challenges and Experiences”, which took place in Natal (RN) on April 12th. On that occasion, Reginaldo Freitas Junior, Director General of Santos Dumont Institute (ISD), received the “Blue Love” award as a partner in the cause. In his speech, the obstetrician thanked the partnership and the different spaces of collaboration that have been developing for approximately four years to give visibility to the cause of autism, stating: “We feel very proud of the capacity for transformation that this combined effort has enhanced in our region.” He recalled the work developed within the scope of the Unified Health System (SUS) by CEPS Anita Garibaldi, focused on training health professionals with the idea of comprehensive care, the proposal of education based on competencies and, mainly, the social responsibility of institutions that train health professionals. “This award is not for Reginaldo as an individual. It represents the recognition of the commitment made by all the people who make up the Santos Dumont Institute to work for a more egalitarian and inclusive society,” concluded Reginaldo.
In the sequence, Celina Reis, a neuropediatrician and medical preceptor at CEPS, addressed the topic of “autism in the school phase”. In her presentation, she addressed the importance of developing pedagogical strategies that facilitate the learning process and inclusion in the school environment. Celina, who has a Master’s degree in Neuroengineering from Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS/ISD), brought some data researched in her master's degree, such as the visual patterns perceived in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). From tracking the gaze of patients analyzed through a tool called “Eye Tracking”, Reis concluded that individuals with autism have a different pattern of visual exploration: “There is a so-called sensory and cognitive failure in capturing signals and this impairs the apprehension of the environment and the development of the individual's social skills”, she mentioned.
The doctor concluded her presentation by saying that it is important to focus on the abilities and not the disabilities of these individuals and ended her participation in the event by paraphrasing the writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, in “The Little Prince”: “One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes”.
