Lions REACh

ABOUT US

History of the Centre

The formation of the Lions Resource Centre for Autistic Children in Penang was spearheaded by the good work and efforts put in by Mrs Diana E. Khoo, who was then the Regional Training Officer for Far East Region Cheshire Homes. In January 1987, two volunteer speakers from South Australia, Wendy Anderson and Barbara Long, arrived in Penang to conduct a 5-day workshop entitled “Children with Autism’. Shortly after the workshop, a meeting among parents, members of the Lions Clubs, doctors and interested members of the public bore fruit when a programme for autistic children was launched in the same year.

We started humbly from a room at the Cheshire Home and then moved to the main hall of a house in 515-E Jalan Hashim, Tanjong Bungah. A fund raising event was held by the Region One Lions and Lioness Clubs in November 1987 to raise funds for the Centre. Under the leadership of District Governor 308B, Lion Ong Tat Lien, the centre was adopted as a District Project for 5 years. The Lions Resource Centre for Autistic Children was officially launched in February 1988 by the Lions Club International President Brian Stevenson at Shangri-La Inn Penang (now known as Traders Hotel). The District then appointed Lion Lim Eng Chye as the Chairman of the Centre. Thereafter, the Centre was placed under the responsibility of the Lions Club of Georgetown Central and in recent years, the Lions Club of Tanjung Penang.

In 1989, Lion Lim Eng Chye wrote to Past-District Governor Dennis Weatherall of District 201N2 for assistance. In November that year, two Lions from the Lions Club of Georgetown Mutiara, Lion Sue See and Lion Maggie Khoo volunteered to visit Sydney to study autism with the Autistic Association of New South Wales. Their study included visits to the Association’s centres, meetings with the teachers and training sessions at those centres.

Upon their return, the core committee worked hard to establish the structure of the Centre and the teaching-learning programmes. Most of the teaching-learning programmes took place on weekends with the assistance of dedicated volunteers. Lion Lindsay Payne of Australia played an important role in obtaining manuals and videotapes on autism to set up our library of resources.

Upon his visit to the Centre in 1990, he found excellent progress made despite the limited professional knowledge and resources available. His recommendations to the 201N2 Cabinet resulted in Jacqueline Roberts, a speech pathologist and principal of the Vern Burnett School visiting our Centre to conduct assessments, training and sharing her teaching methods for the autistic children. From time to time to this day, we were privileged to have many professionals and experts in the field of autism conducting training for volunteers, teachers and parents in the Centre.

In 2000, we registered with the Registrar of Societies as “Association of Resource and Education for Autistic Children”. Since then, we operate as an independent organization. Our centre is now located in a residential area in Bukit Gelugor. We have come a long way from a humble beginning filled with obstacles to our present status. In July 1998, we started a branch in Butterworth under the chairmanship of Lion Choo Beng Chin to meet the increasing needs of the Northern Region in Malaysia. We have also purchased another building at 279 Jalan Pekeliling, 11700 Penang. The facilities of the Centre now include an office and library, a computer room, a Neuro-Feedback room, woodwork and recycling corner, a classroom and a spacious hall to conduct group programs

We have altogether 16 programmes and nine services. Our individual programmes include One-to-One Learning Programme, Computer Class (Learning Box), Neuro-feedback, Sensory Integration, Music and Movement, Pre-Vocational Training, Family Group Therapy, Play Group, Snoezelen, Storytelling, Art and Creativity Stimulation, Occupational Therapy, Lions OptiMusic, Pottery Class, Traverse Wall and Community Living Camp. The nine services include Parent Support Group, Respite Care, Diagnostic and Developmental Assessment, Consultation and Counseling Services, Buddy System, Training, Library, Awareness Campaigns and Research and Publication.

To date, we have assessed about 650 children and from the initial enrolment of only 8, we currently have 55 children of various races and ranging in age from 3 to 26 years old attending both Centres. The Centre enrolls the help of volunteers, part-time and full-time teachers to teach the children. Apart from the daily teaching-learning programme, the volunteers and teachers assess children and plan educational programmes for the children. They also facilitate and supervise the programmes in the Centre.

Our objectives of providing free services, involvement of parents, and emphasizing on the holistic training approach have contributed to the success of our autistic children for the past 25 years. The progress and success of our children in achieving their developmental milestones and being included into the mainstream education, workforce and community have made all our sacrifices and efforts worthwhile.

PROGRAMMES WE OFFER

Individual Programmes

1. One-To-One Learning

This one-to-one learning session is carried out according to a specially tailored curriculum for each child. The main objective is to train the child in the following aspects of development: mental, motor, language, speech and communication, social and self-help.

2. Computer Class ( Learning Box)

Apart from the objective of introducing the children to the new information era, our computer classes hope to build and strengthen the thinking capacity of autistic children by using computers to learn in a structured manner. Creative and educational programmes are introduced to stimulate the autistic child’s mind and memory. Motor and coordination skills of autistic children are also strengthened as they learn to manipulate the mouse and the keyboard through interactive responses to the computer games and activities.

3. Sensory Integration

Sensory integration is a process that allows us to take in information through the senses and put the information into a form that helps us make sense of the environment. The senses include touch, vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, movement sense (vestibular) and joint sense (propioception).

Dysfunction in this area makes it difficult for autistic children to adapt to and function like others in their environment. They may be hypersensitive to sound or touch, and consequently unable to screen out distracting noise or tolerate clothing textures; or hyposensitive to sound or touch, and consequently not responsive to them.

We provide sensory-based activities to enable autistic children to better regulate their behavioral responses to sensations and situations that they find disturbing or painful.

4. Neuro-feedback

Neuro-feedback is a technique that presents the autistic children with real-time feedback on brainwave activity as measured by sensors on the scalp through the form of a video game, movie or music display. It trains the brain of an autistic child to better self-regulate, or balance its own arousal level, to process information for optimal performance, to expand attention span, and also to reduce inappropriate behaviours.

Group Programmes

1. Music and Movement

The objective of this programme is to help the autistic child develop language, speech and communication; mental; social; motor and coordination; auditory; visual and tactile; and affective skills. The rhythms and harmonies of different tunes can attract the attention of an autistic child. And when this happens, the child becomes more responsive and reacts favourably as his/her sensory functions (sight, sound and touch) are gradually stimulated by the music.

2. Play Group Therapy

Play is an important part of a child’s life, and the lack of play skills isolates the autistic child from others. Generally, autistic children have problems in generating pretend play. Play may reduce repetitive and rigid behavioural patterns in autistic children. Overall, play addresses the triad of impairments in autistic children, such as social interaction, social communication and imagination.

3. Lions OptiMusic

Lions OptiMusic utilizes a unique combination of lights and sound to train autistic children to explore and interact with their environment. It provides a training tool for them to learn cause-and-effect by using lights and sound to compose patterns and songs. The user breaks the visible light beams with a reflective bat or glove to activate a chorus of sounds, i.e an orchestra of instruments, whole songs and melodies or a cacophony of animal, transport or comedy sounds. The user can alternatively place a reflector on the floor and strike a note using his finger, foot, hand and whole body. It is a liberating tool in the sensory environment.
The bright colourful beams of light act as powerful stimuli for autistic children to locate and focus on the source of the music. These visual reference points help autistic children to realise that their movements can control the sounds they hear, thus empowering them to influence their environment. Once their interest and attention is held, this tool next trains interaction, communication and self-expression skills.

4. Snoezelen

This therapeutic room provides an environment for tranquility and relaxation through visual, auditory and touch stimulation. The gentle stimulation has a soothing effect that helps to reduce temper tantrums and agitation in the autistic child. We plan structured stimulation and activities for the children in the room. The children are calmer when the stimulation and activity are given one at a time as we prepare them to receive changes. Encouragingly, the children learn to cope with changes under this soothing environment.

5. Pre-vocational Training

We have a pre-vocational training where we use art and craft to enhance aesthetic values in the children by stimulating their visual, auditory, sensory and motor abilities. We also promote good working habits such as cooperation, sharing and cleanliness when they work together in a group. We provide the children with a source of income when their hand-made products are sold and the proceeds are handed to them as their salary.

6. Story-telling

This is a session where stories are created and played out by teachers to stimulate the children to develop receptive (listening and understanding) and expressive skills, imagination and creative thinking, role play and dramatization, and social skills. We also use stories and real-life situations to teach values. All stories incorporate appropriate speech, communication, actions, emotions and social behaviours.

7. Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy uses purposeful activities to help autistic children achieve their greatest level of independence in their day-to-day activities such as motor coordination, self-care, play, social skills and performance in order to prepare them for transition and inclusion into school and society.

The group participates in activities which develop, maintain and improve skills which are necessary for them to cooperate and work together as a group yet independently perform living skills such as house chores, shopping, managing money and time, community living and camping.

8. Traverse Wall

The traverse wall was introduced as our new programme in March 2011. This activity introduces children aged 13 and above to the use of a climbing wall in a safe manner. They simulate a climb across the traverse wall. This activity also aims to improve body coordination and muscle tone of our children. Apart from training our children to queue for their turn, we also stimulate their problem solving skills and teach them to manage their socio-emotional behaviours. The traverse wall is also an avenue for recreational activity.

9. Pottery Class

Pottery classes were introduced as a new programme in March 2011. This activity is for children aged 13 and above. This programme is aimed at improving the children’s gross and fine motor skills, training their sensory issues and improving their listening and communication skills. We hope to encourage children’s creativity, expression and socially appropriate behaviour. Through the pottery class, we also provide an opportunity for young adults to participate in a recreational activity.

10. Art and Creativity Stimulation

There are two parts in this programme:-

Computer Stimulated Programme

By using an audio-visual PowerPoint presentation, children are encouraged to give an account of what they see, feel or imagine, whether on the picture itself or the characters in the presentation. They are encouraged to express their thinking verbally, by drawing or writing out. This session provides information that serves as an area of research which will allow us to uncover the thinking patterns of our autistic children so that we may better understand them to help them.

Art classes

Under this programme, we also provide phonics art class (age 4 to 8) and art class (age 11 to 19) for the children to learn proper concepts of drawing and the skills of colour combination. Fine motor skills, hand and eye coordination, as well as creativity are further developed in these art classes.

11. Family Group Therapy

We hold family group therapy weekly. This programme is aimed at creating opportunities for the autistic children to socialise and interact with each other while learning self-help and living skills such as household work, handicraft, woodwork, prepare meals, queue up for the canteen, and also learn the concept of money. Parents or family members are required to be with the children to provide support for each other and to receive training on how to handle the autistic children at home and outside. This group session is conducted entirely by parents with the help of volunteers.

12. Community Living Camp

Community Living Camp is organised two to three times a year. We organise the camp to train our autistic children to live independently away from home and together with their friends from our centre. It is designed to improve their survival skills. We hope that through community living camps, we are able to encourage independent living so that our autistic children can be self-supporting when they grow up and especially so when their parents are not around anymore to guide them.

Services Available At REACh:

1. Diagnostic and Development Assessments

We provide free diagnostic and developmental assessments for the children. Diagnostic assessment is used to verify if the child is autistic and identifies the spectrum of the disorder. Developmental assessment is carried out to ascertain the developmental stage of the child.

2. Resources / Library

Our library has resources that include printed and audio-visual materials on autism. The library also has many story books and educational reading materials to encourage a reading culture among the autistic children. These are provided for the use of the autistic children and their families. We also use the library as a training ground where the children work as librarians for a minimum salary.

3. Awareness Campaigns

We organise exhibitions, roadshows and workshops that promote awareness of autism for the families of autistic children, teachers, students and the general public. Awareness can lead to earlier diagnosis and earlier intervention for the child. Awareness promotes more understanding towards these children and thus gives them the opportunity to be included into schools and society.

4. Training

We organise training sessions for parents, volunteers, teachers, medical students and the general public. We conduct awareness seminars on autism for organisations on their request. In-house training is conducted throughout the year by inviting professionals and experts to run seminars and workshops so that everyone will be equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills to help the autistic children. We also provide a half-day clinical exposure for medical students from the Penang Medical College as part of their professional training requirement in psychiatry, and training placement for psychology students and special education teachers from other universities.

5.Consultation and Counselling Services

We provide counselling for parents and family members of autistic children. The counselling is specifically designed for parents and family members to discuss problems or issues they are facing when handling their autistic child.

6. Respite Care

Respite care provides an opportunity for parents to take temporary charge of another family’s autistic child so that the child’s own parents may have a break or holiday. It promotes understanding and support for each other’s child. We also organise outings for the children and each child is put under the charge of another parent. This exchange enables the parents to support and help each other so that they can have some time to themselves knowing that their child is safe with the other family.

7. Parents Support Group

This support group is specially organised for parents of autistic children to meet up and develop a closer friendship. They can then support and assist each other. This is also where the parents get together to discuss the progress of their children and organise social activities or outings for their children.

8. Buddy System

Under the buddy system, we have children and teenagers from the mainstream schools come to our centre during the school holidays to be a buddy to our children. They spend time with our children, teaching and coaching them in their academic work and also play together so as to encourage interaction and communication. By spending time together with our autistic children, we hope to cultivate empathetic feelings among normal children and teenagers so that they will grow up to be kind and caring adults.

9. Research and Publications

Research serves to update treatment and intervention methods for autistic children. Data collected over the years of practice can be rationalised, put on strong scientific foundations and disseminated to help other caring groups all over the world. We have developed some training modules such as the Group Occupational Therapy Manual; Sensory Integration Manual; Community Living Skills Manual; Independent Living Skills Manual; Music Therapy Manual; Play Therapy Manual; Art Therapy Manual; and Neuro-Feedback Manual.