Three representatives from Autism Baia Mare were in Alloa this week to meet with personnel from Scottish Autism and see firsthand some of the innovative initiatives and resources we have in place to support people with autism and their families. Autism Baia Mare is based in the town of Baia Mare, approximately 600 km from the Romanian capital, Bucharest. Its representatives were Yolanda Sztrelenczuk, founder of the charity, and two of its therapists, Diana Fat and Gabriela Pop.

Over their three day visit this week, the Romanian contingent met with Karen Gracie, our manager for the Central Region. They then attended one of our Knowledge Share events, aimed at helping families understand and better manage some of the key challenges facing people with the condition. They also spent at day at New Struan School.

Speaking about her visit to Scotland, Ms Sztrelenczuk, who has a child with the condition, said: “We were looking for international partners that can and want to share their experience of working with  children, teenagers and adults with autism. I was very impressed by the services offered by Scottish Autism and the high standard of teaching at New Struan School.

“Romania has very little experience in offering services to help people with autism and their families. What we do have in place was mainly developed by parents who have taken pro-active measures to help them cope with the pressure of looking after a child with the condition.

“Efficient educational integration for children is also a problem that must be tackled properly and we felt there was much to learn by seeing the great work being done by Scottish Autism.”

Charlene Tait, Development Director of Scottish Autism said: “It’s been a pleasure to welcome our Romanian friends from Autism Baia Mare. We believe the innovative services we have developed along with the quality learning programmes in place at New Struan School serve as a great model for any autism organisations. We’re also delighted to share our ideas on best practice and we wish them well as they continue to develop further support for people with the condition and their families in Romania.”