by InTrieste
The regional government of Friuli Venezia Giulia has announced new efforts to strengthen inclusion in the school system, focusing on children with autism and other special educational needs.
At a presentation in Trieste on Wednesday, Alessia Rosolen, the regional councillor for labor, education, research, universities, and family, underscored the importance of building a network to support young people with disabilities and learning difficulties.
“In recent years, the Region has intervened significantly to support the school system, which today sees a marked increase in children with specific learning disorders, special educational needs, and disabilities,” Ms. Rosolen said. “Our goal is to create a network that allows these young people to live as normal a life as possible, centered on the right to education and inclusion. Investing in their future is the greatest investment institutions can make.”
The initiative, titled Aut in School – Autism at School, was developed by Progetto Riabilitazione Odv, a volunteer association that has worked for more than 20 years on rehabilitation activities for people with physical, psychological, and sensory disabilities.
According to data from Italy’s National Observatory for the Monitoring of Autism Spectrum Disorders, one in 77 children between the ages of 7 and 9 is diagnosed with autism, with boys more frequently affected.
Ms. Rosolen, speaking in a hall dedicated to Trieste-born artist and musician Lelio Luttazzi, cited one of his phrases — “I sing even if I am out of tune” — as a metaphor for the project’s mission. “We must help and allow those who seem out of tune to sing as well,” she said.
The program began experimentally two years ago, involving about 15 schools ranging from primary to secondary level. It brings together healthcare and social workers, teachers, families, and students with autism, alongside their classmates, in a shared effort to foster inclusion.
