Volunteers are needed to spread awareness about autism

DUBAI // Volunteers are needed to spread awareness about autism all next month. April 2 is the World Autism Awareness Day, but the Dubai Autism Center (DAC) runs a month long campaign to spread awareness about children with autism among the community.

“We just want people to understand, spread awareness in the community so society can accept people with special needs,” said Sara Ahmed Baker, Head of the Community Service Unit at DAC.

This year’s campaign looks at educating people about some of the behaviors of autistic children. “We don’t want people to judge them due to the ways they behave. This is not a misbehaving child, it is someone suffering with autism,” said Ms Baker.

The campaign is also when DAC gets most of its funding. DAC has been working on getting the funding for its new center, more than half of the Dh50million needed for the new facility has been collocated. DAC currently has about 50 students enrolled in the center and another 270 on the waiting list.

“With the new center we can accommodate 180 children. We are looking at doing two sessions a day that should cover all our waiting list too.”

“This is our biggest campaign of the year. We used to have Ramadan campaigns as well but Ramadan is now in the summer when the center is closed.”

The center run events across the country. “We have had requests to hold a seminar in Kalba this year as well.”

Volunteers are need for various jobs, from handing out flyers to helping with the children.

“We are always looking for volunteers. We do give them training, but we really want volunteers who know about autism so that they can answer much of the questions people have.”

Ms Baker said that the center receives calls from all over the world prom people who are considering moving to Dubai for employment and have autistic children.

Jawad Asghar’s son Ali was diagnosed with Autism in London. “DAC was a major factor in moving my family to Dubai.”

Ali, 6, has been going to DAC for a year now. “We have seen his speech improve drastically since he has been here. Being able to communicate has been a blessing for us.”

“There are stages to Autism. You have to live with it and understand them. The biggest thing is that you have to not lose your cool.”

“He is gotten friendlier, he is not afraid to come out and speak to people.”

“They have amazing teachers here, Ali has built a unique relationship with his teachers,” said Mr Asghar. “Just seeing their slogan, finding ability in disability, everything I’m here makes me feel better.”

One of the major concerns at the center is what happens to students after they turn 18. “Parents, children and teachers invest years of time and effort to help them have better lives. Once they turn 18 we have to release them from the center, and there are no facilities to deal with adults with autism here,” said Ms Baker. “In almost every case we have seen, student show clear signs of regression after leaving the center.”

“We are talking about a completely different center looking at nurturing vocational skills for autistic people,” she added.