Walking for autism awareness
People from Breakthrough Interventions will be going the extra mile for Autism on Sunday.
STAFF, parents and children from Breakthrough Interventions will participate in the Discovery East Coast Radio Big Walk on Sunday to raise awareness for autism.
Caz Collins, a behavioural therapist from the organisation, said a group of 50 people will be walking to take the message across to Durban, that there is hope for people with autism.
“Our message is that mainstream schooling is possible and progress is possible. All people with autism have potential,” she said.
Caz is a mother of an autistic child, and joined the organisation in Denver, US. The organisation works with the Breakthrough Interventions curriculum on autism spectrum.
“We work with children who are non-verbal up to Asperger’s Syndrome, starting with children under the age of five. The goal is to start working with the children as early as possible as when they come to us at age eight to 10, we have to work on unlearning behaviours which are entrenched by that age,” she said.
She said social and communication, behaviour and sensory components, which are all linked, are worked on using academic and pre-academic tools, showing children with autism how to be self efficient and how to communicate.
“Neurotypical people communicate on a social level, but autistic children work on a low level of communication, and don’t have the social need to be like others. I trained in the US, which is a very independent society where there is no shame, people are going to do things no matter what they are told, whereas in South Africa the culture is different, and we are reliant on authority. If a doctor has told a parent there is nothing they can do for their child, they tend to accept it,” she said.
This was part of the reason Caz and the group decided to join the big walk on Sunday, to do away with the misunderstanding that nothing can be done.
“We want to raise awareness and pride. Professionals tell parents that they can’t change their child, but there is treatment available,” she said.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Breakthrough Interventions, contact Caz on btinterventionsdbn@gmail.com or 076 191 8332.
