Najib unveils two key initiatives on autism

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has unveiled two key autism-related initiatives for Malaysia - the setting up of the National Centre for Autism and turning the Permata Kurnia project into a national centre of excellence for autism.
The prime minister said the National Centre for Autism was initiated with the aim of producing a comprehensive early intervention system, supporting and empowering families, and ensuring sufficient supply of professionals in addressing autism.
The National Centre for Autism will be in operation by May next year, he said when opening the International Seminar on Autism 2014 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here today.
"In light of the phenomenal rise of autism globally, countries are reacting to it proactively with prescriptive national action plans on how to set up a comprehensive early intervention system, supporting and empowering families and ensuring sufficient supply for effective professionals in this field," he said.
The two-day seminar is attended by over 1,000 local and foreign participants. The prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is patron of the seminar. --
Present were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhhyiddin Yassin and wife, Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman. Najib said the Permata Kurnia centre would provide early intervention and early childhood special education to 300 children with autism aged between two and six years.
Declaring the centre as a national centre of excellence for autism, he said being the first ever project for children with disabilities to be fully funded by the government, it would gather expertise for early intervention and collaboration with other centres around the world.
"It will also be the first ever project where a multidisciplinary team, consisting of early educators, speech therapists and occupational therapists, working together to provide a holistic service to children with autism.
"This project will serve as a benchmark in implementing autism service-provision best practices which we hope will be a model for future centres around the world," he said. – Bernama