Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

The first Autism Culture Festival of children with autism spectrum disorder has been held in the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva attended the event.

The festival was co-organized by "Happy Future of Children" and "Together and Healthy" public unions, "Umid Var" charitable society with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

At the festival, children with autism demonstrated their talents in various fields of art by playing pianos and singing, sending the message "We are an integral part of society."

Honored artist Tunzala Aghayeva and others also took part in the festival.

Speaking at the event, the chairman of the "Together and Healthy" public union Ayten Eynalova informed about the autism disorders and the work carried out in the country in this direction.

The children also showcased their skills as models on the podium. They showcased a collection of fabric, which reflected the paintings of Leyla Aliyeva.

The collection by fashion designer Zemfira Musayeva was demonstrated by 10 children from "Together and Healthy".

Children with autism from Turkey also joined the festivity. The Izmir Autism Orchestra (IZOT) performed at the festival. All conditions were created for children with autism.

In addition, with the participation of actors of the State Theater of Pantomime and a number of well-known public figures, a flash mob on the topic "Autism: the other and one of us" was also presented.

The festival, which is important in terms of the socialization of children with autism and their integration into society, had an educational nature. During the event, various short films, a social video, a clip were presented, and booklets were distributed to the festival participants.

Azerbaijan pays great attention to children with autism. Founded in 2016, Green Light Autism Center provides help to children with autism and their families in the country.

The Center's activity is aimed at medical and social assistance to people with autism spectrum, genetic syndromes, and psychoverbal development disorders.

The main goal of the Center is to improve the physical and psychological state of children through sport.

In 2012, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation joined with UNICEF and the Autism Center to make Baku part of the global "Light it Up Blue" campaign to raise awareness of the challenges faced by children and adults with autism.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz