Autism Awareness Gathering: ‘Neurodiversity’ From Awareness to Transformation

As part of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, autism was addressed from a multidimensional perspective at an event organized by the Istanbul Gelisim University Speech and Language Therapy Club. Moderated by Asst. Prof. Rheb Mohammadi Ghanbarlou, the program featured Asst. Prof. Deniz Yıldız, Head of the Department of Speech and Language Therapy and a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist; Lecturer M. Fatih Çetiner, an Early Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorder Specialist and Specialist Speech and Language Therapist; and Lecturer Sena Gülfem Büyükçolak, a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, as speakers.

During the event, a general framework on autism was presented, and the importance of evaluating autism from a neurodiversity perspective was emphasized. The speakers highlighted that autism is not merely a clinical diagnosis, but should be understood as a neurodevelopmental variation that requires recognition and acceptance of individual differences.

From the perspective of Speech and Language Therapy, the event focused on communication skills, language development, and approaches to evaluating individual differences in autism. Participants had the opportunity to gain insight into current perspectives on autism and to understand the importance of interdisciplinary evaluation.