THERE’S a new face at Action in Autism in Park Hill who is hands on in broadening the horizon, creating understanding and oppportunities for people with Autism.
Nadia Bhayat recently joined the organisation and says she believes children are the world’s most valuable resource and the hope for the future, the reason why her passion for holistic health care fuels her to invest in their growth.
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She has an Honours degree in Speech Therapy and Audiology, a post graduate degree in Psychology and has trained as an neuro-developmental treatment/Bobath Specialist. She also has a Montessori diploma from the London Montessori College.
Speaking to Northglen News Bhayat she was honoured to be the new director of this ‘amazing centre’ and that her mind was swirling with so many ideas.
“We are heavily reliant on donors to support so I am going to actively pursue funding for the centre. My plans are to look at the community and identify their needs and serve them. I will spend time researching because this is the foundation on which we base our services. I’ll be working on accreditation of services according to international standards. I plan to ensure that we offer a trans disciplinary approach that is both person and family centered,” she said.
There are also a few challenges that people with autism face however, the organisation finds ways to alleviate these hurdles.
“Autistic people find it hard to communicate, interact with other people and to make friends. To manage social isolation, individuals with autism may need to participate in social skills training, join social groups or clubs. Action In Autism helps parents by providing opportunities for social interaction, provides support to the families by referring those with autism to therapists and doctors, resources and generally just provides a helping hand,” she said.
She said there were other hurdles which she had to carefully consider and solve; the biggest challenge being children on the spectrum having to be placed on a waiting lists.
“There is just not enough schools or space for our children. We have introduced a ‘mums and tots’ group that runs twice a week. This group caters for children at the school and for any child with autism,” said Bhayat.
“We are also working on collaborating with businesses to offer our autistic adults work placements so that they can utilise the skills learnt at our young adults center and give them a purpose in life,” she added.
Her message to those out there who are not familiar with Autism Spectrum Disorder is that they should rather embrace each other instead of focus on differences.
“The Maori word for Autism is ‘Takiwatanga’ which means in his or her own time and space. Nobody needs to apologise for taking time or space, it’s part of what makes us happy healthy people. Space for exploration allows us to dream big. People, that includes Autistic people are under no obligation to make sense to you. Let’s stop labelling people, putting people into boxes so our minds can make things ‘tidy’,” she said.
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