Singapore, 13 October 2012 – When it comes to children with autism, there are no rules; only love. It is RYTHM Foundation’s special hope that efforts be made to reach out to these children, whose illness has no cure. It is with this hope that QI Singapore treated children with autism from the Eden Children’s Centre to a day in Singapore’s largest indoor playground- eXplorerkid at E!hub in Downtown East. The centre is a place where children with autism can get the attention, care and support that they need.
The event itself was an eye-opener for QI staff as they came out of it having learned more about a disorder that can be very difficult to live with. However, it was clear that with the correct education, therapy and intervention these young children will have the renewed hope of integrating into society effectively.
All QI staff members were paired with one of the 23 children for the morning. The children were so happy to take part in all the activities and were touched by the warmth and gentleness of staff that they were paired up with.
Children making face masks of different animals.
Parents, teachers and carers also joined in the lively activities of the day which started off with a get-to-know session where some of them shared openly about their children and on what having autism meant in their child’s lives.
Children having fun in the large ball pit.
The other activities included a face mask session where masks of rabbits, mice and monkeys were made, a ‘play pen’ time where the children had fun playing in a large ball pit and a soft play area with tunnels, netting, slides and matting in which the children spent hours in!
Children exploring the soft play area.
The group then headed for a delicious lunch. At the end, the children were presented with a gift each and some stickers, which were promptly stuck on any available piece of their clothing, on their skin or bags. Overall, it was a meaningful and well-spent day in which the children got to have fun and socialise while the staff was enlightened with a better understanding of autism.
Lunch is served!
The morning’s activities were organised directly with the Eden Children’s Centre which is part of the Autism Association (Singapore).
RYTHM Foundation will continue to support this cause which is to promote and encourage the treatment, education, welfare and acceptance of people with autism. This ultimately falls under one of the four pillars of the Foundation, namely, community development.
More about Eden Children’s Centre:
In their words, the Eden Children’s Centre (formerly known as ‘Autism Children’s Centre’) provides early intervention programs for children aged two to six years old who have been diagnosed to be on the Autism spectrum. An IEP (Individualized Education Program) is developed for each child based on a Needs Assessment. An Occupational Therapy Assessment is also conducted within the first month of admission. The programme includes goal-setting and progress reviews every semester.
