Image used for representation only
An autism awareness training event organised by Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s Qatar Biomedical Research Institute highlighted the important role played by teachers and parents in supporting children with special needs.
On the sidelines of the event, specialists and researchers presented a wide range of insights on autism projects at Qatar Foundation's Awsaj Academy.
“In our class, we have set routines in place which is very important as some of my students are non-verbal. We have all these forms of communication like boards, and using flash cards. I try to use sign language every day so they can use that and pass it to the real world,” Carla Silva, a teacher at the Awsaj Academy told The Peninsula.
"Enabling students to convey their needs," Silva added, “we try to work with life skills but we teach them the fundamental communication skills so that they can express themselves even if they cannot talk.”
Teaching eight students with special needs including four with autistic conditions, Silva specialises and researches on Special Education Needs.
Attending the awareness training event and talking about its significance, she said: “I think it is extremely important to have awareness campaigns such as these because, on a daily basis, it gives parents the right tools to work with their children at home.”
Children with special care at the Awsaj Academy are adapted to overcoming challenges in a social world while provided with high-quality practical applications. Silva highlighted that one of the major issues to deal with is their behaviour. Having set no boundaries, students are not aware of the daily routine and won’t react to certain situations.
Outlining the sessions offered to children to enhance their ability to express themselves and set a strict routine, Silva said, “We also have carpet sessions where we include them in the activities and create opportunities for the language to be developed and these small steps are working.”
“Most of the parents are worried about their transition one day to the real world, which is outside of the classroom. For that, we are working inside the campus like giving small activities including going to the cafeteria, going to other classes in another space, coming to the library; so we are trying to work together for them to fit one day,” she added.
Awsaj Academy facilitates students with several needs mainly focusing on the life and social skills. Speaking about the hurdles children come across, Jo Brettell, a teacher at the Awsaj Academy, said: “We run a lot of programmes and lessons because our whole aim is to think about these students when they leave.”
The teachers at the academy offer co-curricular activities to enable children with special needs to encounter social interaction and problem-solving. She said: “We do activities like pop-up tasty shows and students have been practising to deal with situations outside the classroom.”
“We use pictures or have a visual timetable on each child’s desk. Every one of my students has different needs so the main purpose of our class is to be student-specific. But it’s very reassuring for me as a teacher that parents and we have the same kind of philosophy in terms of what’s more important for these children to learn,” she added.
