Fashion for special children in Baku

A fashion show involving kids with autism was organized in Baku.

The event featured not only a défilé, but also the screening of an awareness-raising video about autism and a «Fərqliyəm» (‘I’m special’) song clip, which is viewed by the authors as an anthem for autism (music: Tunzala Agayeva; lyrics: Murad Arif, a singer and composer).

Parents of the fashion show’s participants say that it took them and trainers a great deal of effort to prepare kids for the program.
The event was held at the Boulevard Hotel and was organized by the ‘Birgə və Sağlam’ (‘Together and Healthy”) public association; Gulnara Khalilova’s Fashion House;the ‘Ümid var’ (‘There is Hope) charity organization; the Health Ministry’s Public Health and Reform Center and ‘Lider Qadınlar’ (‘Women-Leaders) public union.

• Autism is a complex disorder of brain development, characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. A child may show the first symptoms of autism by age 3.
• According to unofficial data, there are about 6,000 people with autism in Azerbaijan. There are no precise statistics, since autism patients’ records hasn’t been officially maintained.