Dario Rossi, whose son has autism, tells "Vreme" that children and the elderly with autism in Serbia need something, not the dolphinarium that President Vučić announces as "overshadowing simplicity".
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić addressed the nation on Monday. Among all the issues, the president announced the construction of a dolphinarium as part of a specialized exhibition EXPO 2027. The reason for this, the president said, is that they received a recommendation from the Ministry of Health to bring "those therapeutic dolphins that could be with our children (who have autism) to work".
"They say that nothing has a better effect on children with autism and similar diseases than therapeutic dolphins," emphasized Vučić.
Dario Rossi, president of the "Autism - Right to Life" Association and father of a young man with autism, told "Vreme" that he doubts that the president's statement was addressed to parents of children with autism and the professional public.
"As a parent of a 21-year-old adult child with autism and someone who has experience in dealing with autism, it does not affect me. We, the parents of older children, simply Googled and listened to something like that," said Rossi.
And he added: "I guess it's nice to swim with dolphins and it's a nice experience that could be provided to children with autism if they had something else arranged." However, this system and this country leaves people with autism and children with autism in a sea of nothingness," emphasizes Rossi.
Photo: Media CenterDario Rossi
What is essentially missing
Our interlocutor explains that what is essentially missing are deficiencies in the area of diagnostics, in the area of early interventions, treatment, outdated special schools that should have been reformed two decades ago. Inclusion has not taken root either, we have a shortage of personal companions in Serbia, there are no personal assistants for people with psychosocial disabilities in general, there is no supported housing and there is no other range of services, services and assistance that the system would have to determine.
"What should basically be the key document on autism in Serbia are the Guidelines for screening, diagnosis and interventions in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder." It is one document that would have to be key because for now we do not have a better one, and it was issued by the Ministry of Health in 2018. In that document, in a table dealing with alternative methods, it is written that interventions based on the use of animals are among the insufficient and unclear evidence of effectiveness," explains our interlocutor.
He adds that the president's statement contradicts what his ministry, then as now minister Lončar, prescribed regarding the treatment methods applied in working with children with autism.
What the system has offered so far, Rossi says, instead of the regular things that should be the parent-carer law, family assistance, instead of the registry (which is important in order to implement better health, social and education policies), they have offered a therapy dog in a hospital in Belgrade.
The separate space, continues our interlocutor, is called the Center for Autism, where a room for autism has been created, which has been an outdated therapeutic tool for 25 years.
"They appointed a therapy dog named Laza, so they said, well, there is something new," emphasized Rossi.
Autism is not a disease
Another thing that often comes up, and is related to autism, and the president himself mentioned it, is that autism is a disease.
"Autism is not a disease and therefore cannot be treated." Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that lasts a lifetime and can, with a serious approach and treatment, lead to a functional state. "Instead of a serious approach, setting priorities, we rub our eyes with various public statements and overshadow simplicity", concluded Dario Rossi.
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