Vientiane Center for Autistic Children
The "Vientiane Autism Center" (VAC) is a center specializing in the care of children with autism. It offers them a serene framework to develop and support for parents.
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The center opened its doors in June 2009 and is the first institution specializing in caring for autistic children in Laos. Since son opening, two special educators from Thailand work at the centre. Before the existence of such a center, parents who wanted to have their child diagnosed with autism had to travel to Thailand. This country has several infrastructures for the care of patients and qualified doctors.
The center now has 40 students for 16 teachers. Specialized educators come from Thailand, Switzerland and France, and are beginning to train Lao educators. PEMM counts among its volunteer speakers Jacques VAZEILLES, a volunteer child psychiatrist, who has gone to the center several times to discuss and help educators to think about the best possible care for children.
The missions of the center are multiple: it accompanies autistic children who can subsequently attend a public school, it offers help and support to parents, it raises awareness of autism and offers simple training to understand the needs of a autistic child, or it facilitates access to a doctor capable of making an autism diagnosis.