Italian
Embassy Summit on Autism
An Italy-UK workshop
Organized by the Italian Embassy in London in
collaboration with,
and co-sponsored by, GE Healthcare
Supported by the Italian Medical Society of Great Britain
22 October 2010
RIBA
(Royal Institute of British Architects)
66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD
Outline
The Department of Health and the Department for
Children, Schools and Families are working together to improve services
for people with autism and their families. The Adult
Autism Strategy, published in April 2010, sets out the Government's
plans
to tackle the isolation, discrimination and inequality routinely
experienced by many adults with autism. It details the steps that
need to be taken locally and nationally to achieve real change. This is
the first time that the UK Government has committed
to producing a strategy specifically to improve the quality of
services provided to adults with autism
A national consultation on autism was held in Italy between May 2007
and January 2008, including representatives from
parents’ associations, professional groups and regional health
authorities. The issue of adults with childhood-onset autism is
also matter for discussion in a country where inpatient treatment and
residential care are considered the last of the options.
School inclusion, sheltered training and creative projects compete
along with traditional placements often run by non-profit
organisations. A key issue is, after the transition to adulthood,
whether autism is to stay a mental health task, at least in part,
or it should totally be under the care of social services.
Now it’s time for experts and managers from the UK and Italy to discuss
possible innovative solutions in handling these issues.
The meeting will offer the opportunity of sharing best practices,
strategies of implementation and future perspectives in managing
the transition. Its expected outcome is to reach a common understanding
of the potential solutions available to cope with this critical
phase of life of the individuals with autism, of their carers, and of
the community as well.
Scientific Committee
Dr Claudio Marelli Italian
Medical Society of Great Britain (Chair)
Prof Steve Williams, Institute
of Psychiatry King’s College London
Prof Stefano Palazzi, Ferrara
Health Trust & University Mental Health Dept.
Prof Marisa Papaluca, European
Medicine Agency
Dr Marc Barlow General Electric
Healthcare
Prof Salvator Roberto Amendolia,
Scientific Attaché, Italian Embassy in London
Participants'
List
Programme
8:30 –
9:00
Registration and
refreshments
9:00 – 10:50
First session
Welcome:
H.E. Alain Giorgio Maria
Economides, Italian Ambassador to the UK
Keynote speech:
The Adult Autism Strategy
Patience Wilson - Deputy Director -
Independent Living, Social Care Directorate, Department of Health, UK
UK perspective:
Richard Mills – National Autistic Society, UK
Italian perspective:
Stefano
Palazzi (Univ. Ferrara, Italy and Roehampton Univ., London)
10:50 –
11:10 Coffee break
11:10 –
13:10 Second
session Autism: clinical aspects
Chairpersons:
Steve Williams (Institute of
Psychiatry, King’s College London)
Stefano Palazzi (Univ. Ferrara,
Italy and Roehampton Univ., London)
Current and Future approaches to the
clinical management of autism. Managing the transition
Declan G Murphy (Institute of
Psychiatry King’s College London, Dept of Health ADHD and autism
clinical research programme lead investigator)
Imaging of autism and other psychiatric
disorders: future prospects
Marco Catani (Centre for
Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London)
Screening and Diagnosis of Adults with
Asperger Syndrome
Simon Baron-Cohen (Autism
Research Centre, Dept Experimental Psychology, Cambridge University)
News from the IX International Congress
Autism Europe (Catania, October 8th – 10th 2010)
Donata Vivanti-Pagetti
(Vice-President, Autism Europe)
(see also Congress
Report)
The pros and cons of residential services
at school and beyond
Rita Jordan (University of
Birmingham)
13:10 –
14:10
Lunch break
14:10 –
16:20 Round-table discussions
Chairpersons:
Patrick Bolton (Institute of
Psychiatry, London)
Cecilia Essau (Roheampton
University, London)
Setting the scene
(from Science to Implementation):
Improving outcomes for adults with autism
Patricia
Howlin (Institute of Psychiatry, London)
Social inclusion: the Italian experience
and future perspective
Angelo
Fioritti (Director, Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Departement, Local Health Trust Bologna Italy)
All presenters and invited participants
a - Education
and employment
Invited participants:
• Francesca Happè
(Professor in Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s
College London)
• Gail Prince (Deputy Head,
Heritage House School Chesham, Buckinghamshire)
• Pamela Yates (Consultant, Autism
and Aspergers Syndrome, London)
• Pierluigi Politi (Professor of
Psychiatry, Univ. of Pavia and Cascina Rossago, Italy) - also VIDEO (31 MBytes)
• Giuseppe Leocata (Medical
Doctor, Medicina del Lavoro 2, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda, Ospedale
Maggiore Policlinico Milano)
• Gillian Green (STORM Project
Director, University of Manchester)
b – New
scientific frontiers in autism and bioethics
Invited participants:
• Ilina Singh (Reader in Bioethics and
Society, Associate Director BIOS Centre, London School of Economics and
Political Science)
• Alberto Bizzi
(Dept of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico “Carlo
Besta”, Italy)
• Andrew McKechanie (University of
Edinburgh)
c – Strategic
investments for the future
Invited participants:
• John Jeans (Chief Operating
Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, MRC)
• John Williams
(Head of Clinical Activities, Wellcome Trust)
16:20 –
16:30 Conclusions and recommendations
Donata Vivanti-Pagetti (Vice-President, Autism Europe)
16:30
Close