Institution helps children with learning disabilities

In an institution along the dusty desert roads off the Sharjah Airport Road, about 49 children with special needs are successfully coping with the challenges they face everyday.

This institution equips children with learning disabilities — autism and down syndrome — acquire basic literacy through educational, social and vocational skills they need to become part of the mainstream society.

Their quest is ably assisted by 24 patient individuals — teachers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and other workers — of Manzil (destination), the institution which helps integrate them to society. These special needs kids have gradually, but steadily soared above and beyond their disabilities.

Manzil trains children aged between four and 12 in the basics of literacy, and as they reach 14, they are taught the basics in micro enterprises, so they can become financially independent.

Dr Ayesha Saeed Husaini, an Indian national who is the founder and director of Manzil, says these children undergo two phases of learning. The first is to survive and live independently, and the second, to be financially capable under its People Receiving Independence and Dignity through Employment (Pride) programme.

In the Pride programme, some children are trained to take up jobs that enable them to survive independently in society, while others are helped to acquire motor skills development through jewellery-making, chocolate gift-box packing and labeling for corporate gifts, and hamper baskets making.

“We have had 12 graduates in the past nine years of Manzil, who are now part of the workforce in banks and hotels. They do office work like data processing and filing, which land them jobs in banks and in Human Resources departments, kitchens and housekeeping works of hotels,” says Husaini.

Nelofer Saleem is one such graduate. This Indian teen, who spent six unsuccessful years in a regular school, is now employed with Emirates NBD. Her brother, Nadeem, is among the seven special needs kids, who are being trained for employment by the Hyatt Regency and Jumeirah Creekside Hotel.

Husaini says it is not about changing disabilities, but finding out about their abilities that can be strengthened through skills-training and bringing them to their final destination — the mainstream society. “Simply put, our students are also our teachers. Some kids, at certain points, display many abilities like a strong appetite to do something. So we work on these abilities, on their potentials.

“We introduced them to handicrafts like jewellery making and specialised corporate gifts making and they did excellently. Hence, this micro enterprises training has been incorporated in their learning process,” she says.

Products made by these children are part of various exhibitions, particularly on Diwali, the UAE National Day, Eid and other special occasions. People can order specific products to be made, such as corporate gifts, through its website www.manzil.ae.

At Manzil, regular classes comprise Mathematics, English conversation and basic computer skills. “We offer multiple classes at various levels in Maths, English, Computers, Music, Painting, Dance, and Theatre. Many of them have even gone beyond to learn more according to their inspiration and ambition,” says Husaini.

Soft launched in November 2004, Manzil started out with the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) as its parent body. At the time, there was no institution in Sharjah that took care of non-Arab children with special needs. Shaikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Vice-President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Director-General of the SCHS, saw the solution to the problem in Manzil.

Offering early intervention, education, transition, and vocational training programmes, it has become the learning centre for special needs children from Sharjah and Ajman. Operating as a non-profit organisation, Manzil continuously looks for sponsors for these children, whose parents cannot afford to foot their bills.

“The parents of most children only put up 40 per cent of their finances. We have to search for a sponsor for each of these disabled kids and young adults to help them walk tall with others,” she says.

lily@khaleejtimes.com

Towards preventing autism After years of focusing on autism therapy for affected children, the UAE is now shifting its focus towards preventing autism — or at least minimising the number of cases. This comes after the Sharjah Baby Friendly Campaign focused on how to lower a child’s risk of developing autism spectrum disorders through breastfeeding. The session was conducted at the Human Lactation Conference, held at Rashid Hospital in Dubai. It was presented by Manal Abou Fakher, whose decade of experience in the UAE has helped mothers embrace all aspects of lactation with the support of public health facilities. Abou Fakher currently serves as Coordinator of Educational Material for Sharjah Baby-Friendly Campaign. Her in-depth expertise in paediatrics has given her valuable interaction with autistic children. Children with autism often struggle with emotional bonding, which is facilitated by the oxytocin system. However, it has been found that breastfed children have higher oxytocin levels, boosting their chances of evading autism. Medical research has further confirmed that breastfeeding significantly strengthens the nervous system of both the child and its mother. “On the negative side, autism and other behavioural and developmental disorders are on the rise in the UAE. But on the positive side, researchers have uncovered highly compelling evidence that mothers have the power to reduce the number of autism cases — contradicting previous beliefs that autism is impossible to prevent or treat,” said Abou Fakher. Commenting after the session, Dr Hessa Khalfan Al Ghazal, Director of the Executive Committee of the Sharjah Baby Friendly Emirate Campaign, gave her assessment of the autism challenges in the UAE. “Although there is a lot that we are still learning about autism, it’s safe to say that one mother can do more to prevent autism in her child than all the doctors combined. Once a child is diagnosed with autism, we should still do everything possible to help them contribute positively to society. But if we only focus on therapy, we are missing half the story: prevention is always better than cure.” The Sharjah Baby Friendly Emirate Campaign was initiated in March 2012 under the patronage of Shaikha Budoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and President of the Campaign. The campaign encompasses four initiatives: Breastfeeding-Friendly Nurseries, Mother and Baby-Friendly Public Places, Mother-Friendly Workplaces and Baby-Friendly Health Facilities. The campaign is sponsored by Sharjah Islamic Bank. — Wam