The clinical team for the 2017 OMPACO trip was made up of Amanda Martinage OTR/L, M.Ed (occupational therapist and President of OMPACO), Martha Collins M.D., M.P.H. (Former president of OMPACO), Nilofer Naqvi Ph.D. (Psychologist), Jill Morris MS.Ed (Special education teacher) and Deborah Arin MS, CCC-SLP (Speech and language therapist). The OMPACO team gathered in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, on the weekend of June 24, 2017.   They immediately travelled to Mwanza for a 3-day training session that began on June 27. Upon their arrival in Mwanza,  the team completed 2, hour long lectures regarding Autism to a group of 80 representatives from the Ministry of Education. This was a fantastic opportunity to reach out to a greater number of educators including administrators and to spread the word about the Autism awareness and education trainings presented by OMPACO.

 

For the remainder of the three days in Mwanza, the team delivered lectures to special education teachers from various districts.  Topics covered included: How to diagnosis Autism Spectrum Disorders, dispelling common myths, teaching, communication, behavior management strategies and IEP development.  Overall the teachers were very enthusiastic, friendly, welcoming and animated.