Tohum Autism Foundation Received the “Golden Social Owl” Award!

Tohum Autism Foundation once again received the “Social Owl Award,” which is presented to research projects that best understand and define social issues in Türkiye.

Tohum Autism Foundation General Manager Betül Selcen Özer stated,

“We uncovered striking results in our research that truly excite us. We look forward to sharing them with the public in the coming days.”

The winners of the 2019 Owl Awards, organized by the Turkish Researchers’ Association, were announced. The award ceremony took place at the Four Seasons Bosphorus, with the attendance of leading companies shaping Türkiye’s economy, representatives from national and international research agencies, and members of the press.

The research project conducted by Tohum Autism Foundation, with the support of GfK Türkiye—one of the world’s largest research companies operating in over 100 countries—received first prize.
The study titled “Perception and Knowledge Level of Individuals in Türkiye Regarding Autism” was awarded the Gold Award in the Social Owl category by the Turkish Researchers’ Association.

Expressing her great honor in receiving this award, which is given to outstanding political and social research projects that best comprehend societal issues, General Manager Betül Selcen Özer said:

“There are approximately 1.3 million individuals with autism in Türkiye. Including their families, this figure exceeds 5.5 million people. Today, 1 in every 59 children in the world is born at risk of autism, and this number continues to rise each year.

Since 2003, Tohum Autism Foundation has been working to meet the health, education, employment, independent living, and inclusion needs of autistic children and their families, while also promoting social awareness and acceptance to ensure the participation of individuals with autism in social life.”

Özer emphasized the significance of the “Perception and Knowledge Level of Individuals in Türkiye Regarding Autism” study and continued:

“We conducted the first wave of this research in 2015, the second in 2017, and have now completed the third this year. The results—particularly around autism awareness and public knowledge—are truly eye-opening and deeply encouraging.

The data we’ve gathered shines a light on which areas require more focused efforts in raising autism awareness.

I’d like to announce here that we’re preparing to share the full results of this research with the public in the coming days.

On this occasion, I extend my heartfelt thanks to our supporters and volunteers who always stand by the Tohum Autism Foundation, and to GfK Türkiye, a world leader in its field, for their invaluable support in this research.”