On May 22-23, 2025, partners of the European AHA4Autism project gathered in Limassol, Cyprus, for a transnational meeting. The project brings together organizations from Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus to develop tools and training aimed at improving the quality of life of people with autism and their families across Europe.
During the meeting, several best practices were shared. Spain presented two notable examples:
- Guide for Attending People with ASD in Emergency Services, developed by Autismo Burgos and presented by Rodrigo Arnáiz.
- Scale for Detecting and Monitoring the Aging Process in Adult Users, developed by APNABI and presented by Marta Arroyo.
The meeting included representatives from all partner organizations:
Fundación Miradas (Spain): Marta Arroyo Balbás and Rodrigo Arnáiz
APIS (Cyprus): Nefi Charalambous Darde, Chrystalla Gerolemou, Stalo Gerolemou, Erma Hadjidimitri, Eddie Charalambous, and Lefki Fedonos
University of Calabria (Italy): Daniela De Luca and Gianluca Pergola
EPIONI (Greece): Dimitra Christopoulou and Marios Boukakegia
The agenda focused on the finalization of the project manual, which is divided into seven sections: introduction, diagnostic characteristics, state of the art, quality of life of people with ASD, selection of best practices in social inclusion and health, results of the expert committee, and best practice implementation. Partners are now translating the manual into Spanish, Greek, and Italian, ensuring accessibility for all participants.
Training sessions in Cyprus were successfully carried out, with each organization sharing its best practices. At the conclusion, participants received certificates acknowledging their contributions. The partners also discussed upcoming awareness and sensitization campaigns, which will be linked to the multiplier events in each country. Each event is expected to host at least 30 participants.
The meeting also included a review of the project’s progress, planning for the final events in Spain on September 25-26, 2025, in Burgos, and presentation of a quality report highlighting the importance of evaluation questionnaires for the final project assessment.
All partners expressed their gratitude for the collaborative effort and commitment across countries and reaffirmed their dedication to initiatives that enhance the lives of people with autism in Europe.