Springs mother wants to open school for autistic children

Meryke Knop’s world changed forever when one morning it appeared as though someone had pressed the ‘mute’ button on her 14-month-old son, Marcus-Craig.

“I noticed it one morning, and it was like he had forgotten all the words he had learned.

“He had regressed in some ways, and was doing things that he had outgrown a while ago,” Meryke told the Springs Advertiser.

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The discovery prompted Meryke to read up on all the symptoms her son was exhibiting, and to her it appeared as though he was autistic.

The first doctor she went to diagnosed MC, as he is known, as being pervasively developmentally delayed.

Meryke has since learned that this is what doctors will sometimes diagnose children with if they are too scared or reluctant to diagnose them as autistic.

It was only six months later that MC was officially diagnosed as being autistic.

According to Autism South Africa, which is an organisation run by parents of autistic children, autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the growth and structure of the brain.

This means autistic people are impaired in certain areas of functioning, especially socially.

The condition is a complex spectrum disorder, so symptoms and behaviour manifest in unique ways for each person.

This diagnosis came with a new set of challenges for Meryke and MC, the primary one being that there was no school locally that was suited to his needs.

The initial playgroup MC was part of was helpful, but he was only a part of it as long as they could help him.

The only schools that cater for autistic children like MC are in areas that are far away, such as Benoni, Kempton Park and Fourways.

“It is really unfair to expect parents to drive all that way.

“The schools themselves are expensive, never mind all the other costs,” says Meryke.

This whole experience has been devastating for Meryke, who herself is a teacher at Protea School.

“Where will he go to school where he will be accepted and loved and get the education he deserves?” asks Meryke.

“He cannot stay at home forever,” says Meryke.

Meryke has now taken it upon herself to try to get a school going in Springs for children like MC.

The Casseldale resident is going to conduct a survey to find out how many autistic children there are in Springs.

Meryke, with the help of Autism South Africa, hopes to then present the results of the survey to the Gauteng Department of Education to show that there is a need for such a school in Springs.

Time is of the essence for Meryke as MC is now five years old, and is almost at school-going age, but he cannot advance to Grade One if he has not passed Grade R.

“In my heart I know I am going to start a centre, and while getting the school in place, I want to help others in need,” says Meryke.

Meryke plans to have the survey done by the end of July and to have met with the provincial department by September.

To be included in Meryke’s survey or for more information, you can contact her vial email at merykeknop@gmail.com

Alternatively, you can contact her through her Facebook page, AUsome little minds Springs.

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