Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Education Sciences Special Education Department and Autism Application and Research Center collaborated with Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University Educational Excellence Research and Application Center (EMAM) to organize a summer school training program for individuals with autism spectrum disorder on 20 June-1 July and 8-19 August, 2022 in two different periods at EMAM.
During the summer period, when individuals with autism spectrum disorder cannot attend school, many acquired skills may decline and families may experience limitations in accessing appropriate education and social support services. It is very difficult for families to meet the limited number of services provided financially. For this reason, it is very important to support children and young people with an autism spectrum disorder in academic and social fields during the summer period and to provide such support without any charge from the families with the aim of creating economic equality and equal learning opportunities.
Based on this idea, which constitutes the starting point of the summer school training program, students with autism spectrum disorders and students who volunteer to partner with them in the summer school worked together in various workshops and activities. The training program was organized for the first time in 2022. IMU Special Education Department provided support on two days of the program, which lasted for a total of 9 days, and laid the groundwork for the studies that will continue in the following years. With the official cooperation between the two universities, it is aimed to disseminate this study in the following years and to expand the content to provide teacher trainings for special education teachers, to special education teachers and families of individuals with special needs, and to expand the application by organizing it more than once in different periods during the summer term. Thanks to that, it is aimed to reduce inequality in education, to create learning opportunities for individuals with special needs and to provide equality in access to education in financial terms.
