FORWARD BY PRESIDENT


The three additional training programmes that were started in 2008 at the Asscciation’s Centre were (i) sensory integration exercises in a room equipped as a gymnasium, (ii) Pictures Exchange Communication System (PECS)  and (iii) pre-vocational training for children above the age of 13 years. The sensory integration exercises help to reduce hyperactivity and improve attention span in autistic children. PECS helps non-verbal children to communicate their wants and needs. Pre-vocational training aims to help the older children to improve in their living skills and to teach them some vocational skills.
 
Some parents with children less than four years old with hyperactive-attention-deficit disorder or autism, who had sought advice from the centre, had been given guidance to do sensory integration brushing and massaging of their children at home and to use PECS for non-verbal children. The centre will continue to help such parents in future.
 
This year, the Association will organize teaching sessions for parents and more meetings for parents to share their experience in training their autistic children. Parents will be encouraged to set short term realistic goals pertaining to the improvement they hope to see in their children, in consultation with the teachers at the Association’s centre. At home, parents should plan ways to achieve the set goals. With focused planning and concerted efforts on the part of parents and teachers, there will be more noticeable improvement in the children. If necessary, discipline has to be enforced on such children as with normal children. Once the short term goals are achieved, higher goals have to be determined jointly by both parents and teachers.
 
Social modeling technique will also be employed to teach the autistic children social interaction skills at the centre and at home.  Hopefully, through this method, the social skills of the children will be improved.
 
Mr Andrew Siaw has joined the centre as the supervisor since mid January 2009. Mr Bernard Chong,  has joined the centre as a psychotherapist in February 2009 to help in the training of children at the centre. I hope teachers, parents and committee members will work closely  with them, so that together we can achieve the main objective of the centre which is to train autistic children for independent living and to have some vocational skills.
 
I thank the State Government for allowing the Association to use the government quarters “Banglo” at Bampflyde Road in Kuching as an Educational and Training Centre since 2003 and for the same building to be used for another three years.
 
Earth-filling of the land for future Centre at Desa Wira Road in Kuching was completed in April 2009. This is the beginning of our dream to build an Educational and Training Centre (including group homes). In the meantime we have to raise fund for the construction and furnishing of the future centre. The shortage of fund  is about RM 4.5 millions. (The architectural plan has not been completed.)
 
I wish to thank all those  who had helped in one way or another in raising fund for the Association and all individuals and organizations that had given financial contributions to the Association. I hope you will continue to do so this year and in the future.
 
Together we strive to bring about a brighter future for  autistic persons in this state.
 
 
Dr Yao Sik Chi
President (2008-2010)

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