Malaysian Council of Child Welfare president, Datuk Dr Raj Karim, says the Education Ministry must conduct training for teachers if schools are to be inclusive.
Dr Raj said that while the government encourages an inclusion policy for differently-abled children to attend national schools, many teachers lacked the skills to teach them.
She said it was important to educate or explain to teachers about the behaviour of such children, some of whom have short attention spans, or are fidgety.
“In my earlier years, I saw children tied to chairs for being ‘disruptive’ in class, as the teacher did not understand them,” said Dr Raj.
“So, while it is great to have an inclusion policy, what is lacking is sufficiently-trained staff and resources, as children in the spectrum cannot be taught and trained the same way as ‘normal children’.
“They need special training in non-verbal communication and behavioural skills. The teaching is very different.”
She said the inclusive policy is good, as it helps keep these children in the school system. Many parents may not be able to send them to private schools, as special needs education is expensive.
According to the recent annual report from the Health Ministry, 589 children under the age of 18 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2021, up five per cent from 562, in 2020.
The number could be even higher, as many parents do not get their children tested.
Dr Raj said autistic children would benefit from being in a ‘normal’ school, as they would enjoy social interaction.
She also urged the government to speed up the implementation of the National Autism Council, initially mooted by former health minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, last July.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa told Dewan Raykat last month, that her ministry was drafting a Cabinet paper with considerations to form the National Autism Council.
“The problem is everyone is working in silos. We need the health, education, and other relevant ministries to work together. This is where having an autism council will help pool the resources together,” said Dr Raj.
She spoke during a roundtable discussion last Saturday, organised by the Federation of Reproductive Health Associations Malaysia (FRHAM) in conjunction with International Autism Awareness Month, in April each year. This year’s theme is ‘Light it Blue’.
Dr Raj was joined by FRHAM chairman, Associate Professor Dr Kamal Kenny, and autism advocate, U. Suresh.
“The sooner we have the council, the better it will be for the autistic children,” said Kamal.
“Autism should be looked at holistically to ensure people living with it get access, support, and guidance.”
Kamal also said children with autism are more vulnerable to sexual assault perpetrated by those who are aware of their condition, noting that programmes on safe touch must be instituted in schools to allow a safe place for children to get a proper education.
FRHAM programme and projects officer, R. Sharmilah, was the moderator for the discussion, that also saw several students from Mahsa International School, in attendance.
FRHAM and students from Mahsa also recorded several podcasts to help raise awareness of autism.
