Tom PowellA NEW YORK museum is extending its work with autistic children across the Atlantic by setting up a similar programme in Spain.
EmPOWER Parents is a joint effort between the Queens Museum and Madrid’s Museo ICO.
The scheme will create a support network for parents of children with autism, helping them find ways to request improved programming at schools and include their children in community life.
It was made possible thanks to $73,000 grant awarded in July by the US State Department and the American Alliance for Museums.
Michelle Lopez, programme manager, said: “We applied together with the Madrid museum so they can create a space for these families who don’t have a community for their children with autism.”
The groups have held joint sessions – using Skype to connect and are sharing their artwork and programmes.
The classes in Queens are taught by the parents of the eight children, with the assistance of staff, Lopez said. Work with the group in Madrid – with the parents of six children – has already started.
Parents are sharing videos and photos and creative interventions from their sessions with the families in Madrid, helping them find different ways to connect.
