Autistic children can be the nation's assets - Nation | The Star Online - 0 views
www.thestar.com.my/...Autistic-nation-asset
autism ASD autism malaysia malaysian education malaysia education
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The Director of the Special Education Division under the Education Ministry, Bong Muk Shin, said children under the Special Education Programme are those who have difficulty learning in the mainstream environment. The special education stream is divided into three based on the difficulties in learning, hearing and seeing.
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Autistic children are classified under those with learning difficulties. This is based on the general characteristics of autism such as the difficulties in focusing, communicating and socialising. Autistic children also tend to be hyperactive or prone to sudden aggression, which can at times harm themselves or others.
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Bong advocates early intervention programmes for autistic children. He said such programmes could help them immensely in preparing and adjusting to the schooling environment.
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Early intervention also allows them to enter the special education programme. Bong said the children would learn to become self-sufficient and independent through the programme.
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Until March this year, 3,264 children have registered as disabled people at 925 schools nationwide. Of the figure, five percent are autistic children.
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Bong said the ministry was aiming for 75 percent of mainstream schools to be implementing the integration programme by 2025.
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The integration programme has been implemented at selected schools for three years now and has shown to affect the disabled children positively, he said. Bong said autistic children had every right to an education as other children and it was the parents and teachers' responsibility to help them attain it.