Funds for special room for the autistic needed

NST: Lim See Meng will say her name with some gentle prompting from her teacher. The 14-year-old can even write her name. And a talent for sewing and crochet is beginning to show.
A year ago, she would reply with gibberish when asked her name. And she could not make friends in school, and would keep to herself at recess.
Enrolled in a Chinese school in Kuala Lumpur, she was making no progress in her studies or her behaviour.
It was not until she was put into a school run by the National Autism Society of Malaysia that she learnt to communicate and socialise.
Autism is a brain disorder, and its sufferers usually have difficulty learning, speaking and relating to people. They may also shun affection and isolate themselves.
Lim is one of 300 children, some as young as two, enrolled in the society’s 10 education centres and three vocational schools.
There, she and the other students have learned basic communication skills, motor skills and how to manage their behaviour.
Nasom chairman Teh Beng Choon estimates there are 1,000 children born autistic each year in Malaysia, about three-quarter of them boys. Cases can vary from mild in nature to severe, he said.
Nasom’s executive director Liew Yoon Loy said these children should learn to manage their behaviour and communicate as early as possible.
And parents need to accept the fact that their children are autistic, said Liew. "Many parents are living in denial," she said.
"Autistic children are often made fun of. They cry suddenly and usually don’t mix with other children. They live in their own world," said Liew.
Supported by the Kiwanis, the 20-year-old society has set up a one-stop-centre for assessing a child for autism. The assessment, by a psychologist costs RM50 and results take about an hour.
Nasom is also trying to raise RM75,000 to build a Snozelen Room at one of its schools. Originally developed in the Netherlands in the 1970s, the room provides a controlled environment where over-reacting autistic children can calm down.