Torremolinos welcomes two of the top 'influencers' in autism awareness: over 5 million followers on social media

The Autism South Foundation and the Autism Chair of UMA, sponsored by the Municipality of Vélez-Málaga and Congelados Guerrero, and in collaboration with the local administration of Torremolinos and the University of Malaga, are organizing the Training Cycle 'Knowledge and Good Practices in Autism'. This event will take place on Saturday, November 29, at the Torremolinos Congress Palace, featuring two of the major advocates on neurodivergence through social media. They are Pau Brunet, known as Paupautista, and Orientación Andújar.

The two speakers have nearly five million followers on social media: Pau, who will be accompanied by his father Félix, highlights his diagnosed autism from his childhood perspective, while Orientación Andújar promotes inclusive, creative, and accessible education with free resources.

Pau Brunet, @Paupautista, shares in his talks the perspective of a family facing grief and looking for the positive side

Pau Brunet, known on social media as @Paupautista, will be visiting Andalusia for the first time to offer such a meeting. His talks aim to convey to the audience the perspective of a family dealing with issues such as facing grief and searching for the positive aspects of the situation through a dialogue that seeks interaction and aims to be entertaining.

As for Orientación Andújar, it is the name of an educational platform on the internet, created by two teachers from the province of Jaén: Ginés Ciudad Real and María José de Luis. They offer free resources for teachers, families, and education specialists. Orientación Andújar focuses on early childhood education, primary education, and special educational needs; promoting an inclusive, creative, and accessible education. They have more than three million followers on social media, with a peak of 2.6 million on Facebook. "They are the best educational content creators in Spain," says Luciano Alonso, president of the Autism South Foundation, the organizing entity of the training cycle along with the Autism Chair of the University of Malaga.

The Torremolinos Congress Palace previously hosted a meeting with American scientist Temple Grandin last July. She is the author, among other works, of 'Thinking in Pictures', a book that narrates firsthand how her autistic brain functions and how she thinks in images and colors. Her life inspired a movie that was well received by the public and won awards at the Emmys and Golden Globes.

Program

The 'Knowledge and Good Practices in Autism' training cycle will bring together professionals, families, and autistic individuals to update and share knowledge. The program combines scientific evidence, educational experiences, and firsthand testimonials to offer a comprehensive, rigorous, and humane view of autism. Over three days, topics such as emotional regulation, sensory supports, multimodal communication, autistic identity, and neurodiversity will be addressed.

In addition to the first day this Saturday, two more activities will take place, both at the Faculty of Education Sciences of the University of Malaga. The second will be on Friday, February 20, focusing on families with Dafne Santana, occupational therapist, and Josefina Gibons, specialist in multimodal communication. The third will occur on Friday, March 20, featuring the renowned Peruvian psychologist and linguist Ernesto Reaño.