Relief for more families and children with Autism

Dubai Autism Centre has announced that this new school year, it will be able to accept twenty more families with children with autism into their intervention programme. Dubai Autism Centre was operating at full capacity last year, and the high demand and urgency to accommodate more students made it necessary to undertake major renovation of the current premises. Hayula Mourad, Business Support and Communication Unit Head said, "We take autism personally and try to provide help, support, and services to as many families as is possible under the restrictions of the building. There are many organizations and individuals who realized the importance of tackling this growing disorder and are willing to lend a hand and support the center's efforts." Creating more classrooms that meet international standards was extremely difficult. There were many sacrifices to be made, including even smaller offices and work stations, loss of employees' rest area, and remodeling the various rooms to accommodate the students' needs. With the help of our staff and the help of DAC supporters, the centre now has three more classrooms and five therapy rooms that can cater to the increased number of students. After a very busy summer the center is fully operational with teachers and therapists spending time observing and preparing the individualized educational program (IEP's) for each child. The staff at the centre work very hard to meet the needs of the parents and provide a comprehensive plan that will help improve the lives of the students and their families. An Autism specific program, "ACE" has been adopted to enable educators design individualised curricula that will help students access the general curriculum. The centre is also helping and training other centres in the region, either to establish or improve the current faculty competencies according to international standards. The programme will not be complete without there also being a tailor made programme for the siblings of children with autism to help them cope with the situation at home and encourage them to include their brother or sister in their daily activities. Outreach programmes to help raise more awareness about autism are topping the list. There are a series of visits planned to schools, universities, public and private companies to raise awareness about autism amongst employees. The annual awareness campaign will be launched on April 2nd 2014 and will highlight a new aspect of autism. The centre will also participate in various exhibitions and book fairs with the Sharjah International Book Fair already confirmed.