“Terapia in vacanza”, the summer camp for children with autism spectrum disorders and their families, is back again this year.
The project, now in its fourth edition, is organized by ODFLab - the Observation, Diagnosis and Education Laboratory of the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science of the University of Trento.
The camp features a variety of intensive activities to support rehabilitation in a relaxed and friendly setting, surrounded by a beautiful natural environment and enchanting landscape.
More than thirty kids will participate this year: twenty-two in the 2-6 age range, and eleven in the 7-10 age range. This is one of the rare initiatives of this kind in Italy, organized using specific methodologies that work well with autistic patients, in line with international standards that the staff of ODFLab have studied.
«In recent literature, scientists almost unanimously agree that intensive and multi-dimensional activities are highly effective in rehabilitation procedures» underlined Paola Venuti, director of the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science and head of ODFLab.
The activities are offered by a team of psychologists with specialization in autism rehabilitation. They are supervised by Professor Venuti and supported by the students of the Master in “Educational methodologies for individuals with autism spectrum disorder” and by personnel who are doing their internship for the Master’s degree in Psychology, majoring in Neuroscience.
«The project – said Venuti, based on its previous editions – is a fundamental training experience for the whole staff, and encourages exchange of information, shared problem solving, mutual learning across different disciplines, which all constitute the basis to build together a solid skill set».
Different activities are offered during the day, for different age groups: music therapy, cognitive activation tasks, exercises to improve social skills, language and communication therapy, motion abilities, dance/movement therapy, parent counselling, group work.
This year, “Terapia in vacanza” will take place in Valle di Non (Trentino), at Casa Sebastiano in Coredo, from Monday 26 to Friday 30 June, and from Monday 3 to Friday 7 July.
Casa Sebastiano opened last April, and offers specific services to patients with autism spectrum disorders and, for the duration of the summer camp, will also feature a multi-sensory room for the children participating in the initiative.
Part of the work funded through the 5x1000 campaign within the project “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): from the progress of neuroscience to practical applications” will be carried out here.
Noemi Mazzoni, research fellow at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, explained: «The project’s purpose is to improve the interpretation of non-verbal communication, in general, and of emotions, in particular, in people with ASD, through targeted actions that point to develop their ability to recognize body language, including facial expressions, looks and speech. The participants will work on multiple skills: communication, playing, social interaction, mimicking, cognition, motion and individual abilities. The actions will take inspiration from the psychological and educational methodologies designed by the ODFLab for patients with ASD, keeping in mind the need to offer an intense interpersonal experience. The project’s final objective is to improve significantly the quality of life of people with ASD and their caregivers through better social interaction and understanding of others».