Hope for children with autism

The first scientifically designed school for children with autism in Sri Lanka was opened in Nugegoda on July 23. This is another project of the Ceylinco Sussex Schools network.

Teachers in this school have been professionally trained by national and international experts, to work with

 autistic children. It will follow the National (Government) Curriculum and the medium of instruction will be English. Training will also be provided on life-skills and the extracurricular activities include swimming, IT, drama, yoga and music. Therapists representing different areas will visit the school every week to assist the teachers and the children with specific difficulties.

Company Chairman, Dr. Lalith Kotelawala told the media conference held after the opening, that many children in the country suffer due to the effects of the tsunami and war. He added that over four million people still live below the poverty line, earning less than Rs. 1,500 per month, according to a recent survey.

Under these circumstances, poor parents having children with mental disorders find it difficult to provide a quality education for them.

The parents worry about what will happen to their children when they are dead and gone. "We embarked on this mission due to these reasons," he explained. He said there are some international figures who suffered from autism in their childhood, but went on to excell in various fields later in life.

Autism is a neuro-biological disorder and a developmental disability. According to researches carried out in developed countries such as the US and UK, one in 150 people worldwide suffer from it. Children with autism show difficulties in areas such as communication, social interaction, play and behaviour.

Senior Lecturer of Speech and Language Therapy at the Ragama Medical Faculty, Himali de Silva said these children find it difficult to learn in a mainstream school, and therefore need a specialised and adapted education system to learn and access knowledge.

School Principal, Anthe Ickx, who is a Clinical Child Psychologist specialising in autism and related disorders, said these children tend to learn more by observing rather than listening.

In this school, students have facilities such as sensory room, soft playroom and outdoor play facilities. Classrooms have been designed, keeping their special needs in mind.

Their timetables are displayed in pictures, which is the medium they understand best. Their drawers carry their pictures so that they know which is theirs. A maximum of 48 children will be accommodated in the school with a teacher for every three children, since they are hyperactive and need closer supervision. Every student has a set of forms, where teachers will assess their progress every term.

Seylan Bank and Ceylinco Leasing, two companies belonging to the Ceylinco Group, will explore the possibility of granting scholarships for needy children in the future.

Janani Amarasekara

Remembering the indigenous communities

There are some countries in the world where the indigenous communities are still existing and Sri Lanka is one of them. Know who we mean? They are the Adi Vasi or Vanniyela Aththo (forest dwellers).

They have a history going back to around 16,000BC and have descended from the island's original occupants. They live in clans and still carry axes, bows and arrows over their shoulders.

Although these people now live among other communities, they have still retained their age-old customs and traditions. But a great tragedy to have befallen them is being driven out of their natural habitats and being settled in villages as cities expanded. The Adi Vasis are now mainly centred in the areas of Heningala in the Maduru Oya national park and the jungles of Mahiyangana.

The threat of extinction is one of the most grave dangers facing the indigenous peoples of the world including in Sri Lanka. Their numbers have been declining due to the expansion of cities and the resultant loss of livelihood and their way of life, and new generations leaving the communities seeking a modern life. The number of Vanniyela Aththo decreased from 4,510 in 1921 to 2,361 in 1946, while no separate count on their numbers has been done since 1963.

Over 300 million indigenous people live in about 70 countries around the world today (including the famous Aborgines of Australia) and comprise four per cent of the global population. These forgotten people are the focus of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People celebrated on August 9. This is an opportune moment to explore their history and culture and a day to create awareness about them and the problems they face.

The United Nations General Assembly decided to celebrate this day on August 9 by a resolution on December 23, 1994 during the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People, which had started on December 10, 1994. The date marks the day of the first meeting in 1982 of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protecting of Human Rights.

In April 2000, the Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution to establish a Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues which was endorsed by the Economic and Social Council in July 2000.

The mandate of the Forum is to discuss indigenous issues related to culture, economic and social development, education, environment, health and human rights. The UN General Assembly proclaimed 1993 as the International Year of the World's Indigenous People.