Every year April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, established by the UN General Assembly in 2008.

Autism is a lack of social contact and communication, limited interests and repetitive actions. It is still unknown what causes it. There are different theories, but none of them can fully explain the nature of this disorder.

Of the total number of children registered in the national data bank on children with special needs, children with autism account for 1.9 percent. As of 09/15/2022, this is 3,378 people, which is almost three times more than in 2017 (1,195 people).

Depending on the structure and severity of the disorder, children with autism can be trained and brought up: according to the educational program of preschool education (in the usual group of an educational institution implementing the educational program of preschool education, with the possibility of receiving correctional and pedagogical assistance); educational programs of general secondary education (in a regular class, a class of joint education and upbringing of an institution of general secondary education with the possibility of receiving correctional and pedagogical assistance); educational programs of special education (in special kindergartens, in the center of correctional and developmental education and rehabilitation, in special schools and boarding schools, in a special group, a sanatorium special group, an integrated training and education group, a sanatorium group of integrated training and education of a preschool education institution , in a special class, a class of integrated education and upbringing of an institution of general secondary education).

Educational institutions create a special adaptive educational environment for this category of students. There are recreation areas (private corners), an individual workplace. The schedule, actions, daily routine are visualized.

The means of alternative and additional communication are widely used (PECS communication cards, Loeb-system, communication albums, pictograms, various technical devices, etc.).

Since 2016, at the initiative of the Ministry of Education, changes have been made to the qualification characteristics of the positions "preschool teacher" and "educator", which made it possible to provide personal support in the educational process of a child with autism.

These specialists organize the child's activities in the classroom, assist in the performance of all types of tasks by the child in the classroom, participate in the creation of an adaptive educational environment, organize the interaction of the child with peers, exercise control and correction of behavioral disorders associated with autistic manifestations.

In 2022, in the educational institutions "Minsk City Pedagogical College", Volkovysk College of the educational institution "Grodno State University named after Yanka Kupala", for the first time, admission was made for the new specialty of secondary specialized education "Pedagogical support" (qualification "Educator").

The activities of the Roadmap for the creation in the Republic of Belarus of a national school for the education and upbringing of children with autism spectrum disorders for 2021-2025 are being implemented.

Every year, various educational events are held in the institutions of preschool, general secondary, special education, educational institutions implementing educational programs of vocational, secondary specialized and higher education of the republic on the occasion of the World Day for the dissemination of information about the problem of autism. This year is no exception.

The events welcome children with autism and their parents, children without psychophysical development and their parents, teachers, college students, students of higher education institutions that train teachers.

In the period from March 27 to April 17, participation in various promotions, exhibitions, competitions, training courses, seminars, flash mobs, information hours, trainings and other events is planned to cover more than 70 thousand participants in the educational process.

The issues of education and upbringing of children with ASD are in the area of increased attention and control of the Ministry of Education.