Jan. 7 – Italy and Israel joined forces to promote an open and multidisciplinary scientific research project between the Institute of Orthophonology (IDO) and the Milman Center of Haifa. The two research institutions are organizing in Rome for Jan. 11-12 an international conference on “The birth of symbolism in dyadic therapy with autistic children”. The two-day event is dedicated to the study of primary relationships, to facilitate the mother-baby communication that triggers the tuning process that is missing in autistic subjects. The conference will take place in the capital in the Aula Magna Regina Elena Institute in via Puglie 6, from 9am to 6:30pm. For several years, Italy and Israel have been working together to set common observations and test the possible efficacy of therapies, through an exchange of assessment tools. The Milman Center follows a psychoanalytic dyadic approach: ” The dyadic dimension refers to the primary relationship – says Magda Di Renzo, Head of Therapies at the IDO – because the Israeli model developed a therapy that brings together the parent and the child, so as to find the primary connection. This approach encourages joint attention from both parents and sets in motion the symbolization process that comes from the affective dimension.” The Institute of Orthophonology brought to Israel a “test on emotional contagion (TEC) to assess the level of empathy in children treated at the Milman center. In Haifa, – concludes Di Renzo – the Center is conducting in-depth studies on the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual to pool all expertise together.” The speakers will be Ayelet Erez, clinical psychologist and developmental education expert (Israel); Magda Di Renzo, psychotherapist; Hanna Kaminer, clinical psychologist (Israel); Motti Gini, development psychologist (Israel); and Yaniv Dolev Edelstein, clinical psychologist (Israel).
