Going beyond the mainstream, representation of various knowledge (skills training and behavior correction, inclusive environment, medical and biological side of autism, the family’s role in rehabilitation, development of the parent movement, growing up with ASD, social integration, issues of employment and productive occupation, rights of people with special needs) and experience, current research and new ideas not only bring us closer to understanding autism, but also improve the quality of life for autistic people and their families.
International Research and Practice Conference ”Autism. Challenges and Solutions”
  • In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network determined that approximately 1 in 36 children in United States have ASD
  • Some of the environmental factors that have been studied include medical conditions in parents, age, toxic chemicals, medications taken during pregnancy and before pregnancy, and diet and nutrition
Autism is a challenge of today:
  • It is possible to detect signs of autism in infants as young as 6 - 18 months
  • There are many genetic and environmental factors involved with autism. These include both rare and common variants. About 15% of cases of autism can be linked to a specific gene mutation
  • A sign or early identification marker does not mean a child will go on to receive a diagnosis. It means that they need specific support services as early as possible
  • Scientists agree that the earlier a child receives early intervention services the better the child s prognosis
  • Most people with ASD will require support and services throughout their lives
  • There is no autism pill, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a cure for autism. Modern science and clinical practice provide a great resource for personalized biomedical and pedagogical correction of autism
1st conference
in Moscow.

In-person format.
600 participants.
8th conference.

The beginning of the pandemic. For the first time, a multimedia platform and a monthlong online marathon were organized.

3500 participants.
3rd conference.

1000 participants.

The launch of beyond the conference program with workshops.
11th conference.

For the first time, the in-person conference venue is organized in Abu Dhabi with the support of Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan with online broadcast on a multimedia platform.
7th conference.

For the first time,
a special block on employment of people with ASD was included.

46 presentations and lectures. Art exhibition of works by a boy with autism.
XI
VIII
VII
III
I
Over the 12 years of work, the conference "Autism. Challenges and Solutions" laid the foundation for changes in the field of professional support for people with autism. It has initiated important discourses on autism, responding to current research trends and reflecting the reconceptualization of autism as a phenomenon and as a diagnosis in the 21st century
Evolution of conference
International Research and Practice Conference ”Autism. Challenges and Solutions” has been held since 2013 and is devoted to a wide range of issues related to childhood autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
Mini-university format: lectures, round tables, discussions, informal communication between participants
Educational significance – bringing the topic of autism out of the “shadow” of governmental and scientific attention
There is no division of participants according to their occupation - it forms inter-sectoral connections, ensures the exchange of the most advanced knowledge between scientists, doctors, teachers and parents
An event to exchange professional experience and a way to draw attention to a serious medical and social problem
The largest event on ASD in Eastern Europe: speakers include the authors of the most advanced scientific works and innovative methods in psychology, pedagogy, biology and medicine
Uniqueness of content and strategy
“ …
2. Lay the foundations for the creation of international research teams, including scientists from the UAE and Russia.
….
4. Ministries of Health to pay attention to support healthcare models based on a multidisciplinary approach to patients with autism in order to increase the availability of specialized pediatric care for the treatment of concomitant diseases in ASD.
.....

H.E Abdullah Abudalee Al Humaidan
5. Ministries of Education to strengthen actions to promote the practice of inclusion in the education system and clarify all necessary legislation justifying the development of inclusive education in the UAE and the Russian Federation.
…
7. Form working groups for the implementation of international projects in research and clinical practice.”

General Secretary of ZHO
From the recommendations of the XI conference “Autism. Challenges and Solutions” in Abu Dhabi
Based on the results of the conference, a collection of abstracts of lectures and presentations

DOI : 10.45878/ACAS2023

on 75 pages was published
Publications
Chair of Pathology and Cell biology and a professor of neuroscience at the Univ. Montréal, Canada and held the Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience
Professor of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Research Director of the Centre for Autism at the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading
Professor
Dr. Andreas M. Grabrucker
Director of the Autism/Asperger's Research Program at Arizona State University, President of the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix (USA)
Bhismadev Chakrabarti
Afaf El-Ansary
Assoc. Professor at the Bernal Institute of University of Limerick, Ireland & Lead of the Bio Materials Research Cluster of the Bernal Institute.
Professor
Ph.D., Professor
Professor of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Research Director of the Centre for Autism at the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading
Nagwa Meguid
Professor
Autism/Asperger’s Research Program President’s Professor, Arizona State University
Pierre Drapeau
Professor
Ph.D., Professor
James B. Adams
Keynote speakers 2024
Head, Developmental Neuroscience Lab NYS Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities
Abha Chauhan
Ph.D.
Prof. and Consultant of Clinical Neurophysiology. Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, King Khaled University Hospital (KKUH) and King Abdul Aziz University Hospital (KAUH), Riyadh Saudi Arabia.
Laila Y Alayadhi
Post-doc researcher of immunology at the Curie Institute (Paris, France)
Professor
Dr. Elisabetta Volpe
Professor
FAMS Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director Bio- Science research Centre Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering.
Dr. Undurti N. Das
M.D.
Board Certified Child/Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association Therapeutic & Learning Centers, P-LLC
Professor of Basic Medical Sciences, Qatar University.
Naila Rabbani
MD, MPH, DFAPA
Susan D. Rich
Professor
All the Speakers
More than 20k people attended the Conference in the last 12 years. The audience of the conference is very diverse and includes:
  • Research Scientists

  • Medical doctors (psychiatrists, neurologists, gastroenterologists, geneticists, pediatricians)

  • Special educators (speech pathologists, psychologists and psychotherapists, art therapists, behavioral analysts)

  • Science journalists

  • Government officials

  • Various parent communities
The Audience