THE president of the Society for the Management of Autism Related Issues in Training, Education and Resources (Smarter) yesterday said he was willing to provide transport for the autistic 11-year-old Nadathul Umur to come to the centre, as long as her family is "committed" to attend the sessions.
Hj Malai Abdullah Hj Malai Othman stated this when asked about his response to the recent report by The Brunei Times on Nadathul.
Nadathul who lives with her three siblings and parents in Kg Tanjong Maya, Tutong, does not go to school as she is a special child afflicted with "high stage autism". She cannot speak and cannot even take care of herself.
Nadathul's mother, 43-year-old Lina Tangah, had said in the report that she wanted to send her daughter to Smarter, but could not do so as the only car they have is used by her husband to commute to work.
"If someone is willing to come here and take Nadathul to Smarter, that will be great," said Lina, a full-time housewife.
According to Hj Malai Abdullah the centre has no problems in picking up Nadathul, as they were already picking up three other autistic individuals from Belait.
"In the morning, our therapist goes to Kuala Belait to bring three adults to Bandar. We have no problems in stopping at Tutong and picking up Nadathul also. We will pick them at 6am and take them back home at three in the afternoon," he said.
"Next year, we will be picking up three more people from Belait. Since we have a van now, we can provide transport for families also," Hj Malai Abdullah added.
However, the president of Smarter stressed it was crucial for Nadathul's family to contact them for help.
"We do not have the authority to go to anyone's house and pick them up. So the family must take the initiative to come to us. We do not charge for the transport and all we ask is that the family is committed and willing to learn and imbibe the right skills," he said.
"There must be consistency to ensure that we progress fast. We want her (Nadathul) to be in leaps and bounds and possess all the skills of an 11-year-old," he said.
Hj Malai Abdullah cited the example of an 11-year-old boy who recently came to Smarter, and who was in the same stage of autism as Nadathul.
"We have one boy who is our member, who is 11 years of age. He started coming to us last week and after two days, he has improved enormously. This is because his family got involved. I thought it would take me six months to teach him, but within three days, he was able to sit and be toilet-trained," he said.
"You must create the right environment and give the individual trust, and they will improve enormously." He said that Smarter is willing to help Nadathul because the organisation is for families.
"We are here not only to help the child, but to help the whole family. Once the family becomes knowledgeable, they can help the child at home, and at the centre. We are a family organisation, run by families and for families," he said.
Nadathul's father Osman Hj Sabli Umur expressed happiness at the Smarter offer."Syukur alhamdullilah, we are so grateful to the Smarter president for offering transport for our daughter to go to Smarter," he said.
Osman assured Hj Malai Abdullah that the family will remain committed to the programme. - The Brunei Times
As part of its civic responsibility, Laksamana College of Business recently set up donation boxes at the college, an initiative to help SMARTER kids upon hearing their cry for help recently.
Officially formed on September 9, 2001, SMARTER (Society for the Management of Autism Related issues in Training, Education and Resources), Brunei is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which was established by a small group of parents to support them and their children on their life long journey with autism and is a member of World Autism Organisation.
The donation collected from the college's staff and students consisted of used clothes, books, toys and school stationeries where the items were collected over a period of three weeks and were handed over by the college's Registrar, Dk Hjh Siti Noorsinah Pg Hj Mohd Arif, who was also accompanied by the college Head of IT, Mr Prakash Mohan.
LCB hopes to instill the community drive among its students and create awareness on how important it is to support the children who are special in many ways and how small things can make a difference in a child's life.
The college looks forward to run more charity events like this in the future to help the children fulfill their dreams and put a smile on their faces. - Borneo Bulletin
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