THE non-profit organisation Educate 2 Empower hosted an open day at the Carbonado Energy Autism Centre located within Ned Doman High School in Athlone yesterday.
The centre has been open since early May and has slowly grown into a facility that is of assistance to the surrounding community.
Yesterday’s open day was both the official launch and an opportunity for centre manager Sunkiree Veerasamy’s to thank the school, officials, donors and parents for their support.
Veerasamy hails from New Zealand and has been a teacher for 33 years with a speciality in autism. She said there was a need for more specialised schools and facilities, but also a need for teachers to be trained to deal with special-needs children.
She said the centre came about when she helped the 12-year-old son of one of the high school teachers because of the lack of availability of specialised centres.
“He became frustrated and began hitting because he was stuck at home. The school provided the space and since May the group has grown to six children, ranging from ages six to 12,” said Veerasamy.
She said autism spectrum disorder is a deficiency in social cognitive communication, which means they struggle to have reciprocal relationships with people.
“What we do is mainly regulating the senses to enable learning.
“Today we provide a look into the children’s environment and how we work with them, but more networking and building of relationships needs to be done.”
Veerasamy said she also provided workshops at the centre for parents and teachers, and works with Autism Western Cape and the Education Department.
Mother-of-five Rifqa Haffejee said her daughter Shaakirah, 9, one of a twin, had undergone many challenges since the family relocated from Pietermaritzburg four years ago.
She said after her daughter’s illness, she had to relearn to walk and the process was a strain on her and their family.
Ned Doman High School principal Gwynne Philander said: “This centre is also of great value to our disadvantaged communities.”
Any person or organisation wanting to contact the Carbonado Energy Autism Centre can e-mail it on sunkiree@ hotmail.com or phone the centre on 021 418 9919.