When Aaltje van Zweden-van Buuren and her husband, conductor Jaap van Zweden’s, child was born with autism, ithad and continues to have a huge impact on the family. In 1997, the couple established the Papageno Foundation, to help children and young people with autism. Now, 20 years later, Papageno has made a name for itself in the Netherlands. The Foundation has developed into a multi-faceted organization,which, through all sorts of initiatives and activities, focuses on the development of children and young people with autism:

Music therapy: we have a national network of 25 qualified music therapists, who provide therapy to children in their homes.

Papageno Huis Laren: at this villa, we offer respite and support to children with autism. Along with the ’s Heeren Loo Zorggroep (an organizationthat provides care and support for people with special needs), we provide the youngsters with a place to work, to participate in activities, to live and to continue to develop.

We also support research into the effects of music therapy on autism and into the possibilities of early diagnosis.