With the support of Ministry of Education – AX Foundation is redirecting all its efforts to support children on the autism spectrum
‘When taking over the AX Foundation earlier on this year I wanted to redirect all its efforts towards a cause that is currently under resourced and underfunded. After months of research and meetings we have decided to support children with hidden disabilities with focus on children that are on the autism spectrum.’ – Claire Zammit Xuereb, Chairperson of AX Foundation commented when taking over the helm of the foundation from her mother who has led the organisation for the past 15 years.
While some disabilities demand recognition via a wheelchair, hearing aid, or portable oxygen tank, others are more subtle, but that doesn’t make them any less real.
The Minister for Education and Employment, Evarist Bartolo, said that both in the field of education, as well as work, society needs to be more inclusive. He stressed that we should always link the education hand-in-hand with the labor market because although we have made many advances and have reduced the unemployment numbers, even among people with disabilities, much remains to be done. The Minister thanked the Foundation for this initiative and commitment.
A child on the autism spectrum would require a different approach in schooling and would react to things in class differently than others. This might cause confusion in class unless the teacher knows how to handle it. If the condition would remain unnoticed no good measures would be applied, and the child would continue to feel that they are misunderstood, and school would remain uninteresting. Teachers in school need to be equipped and trained with the latest knowledge.
‘One of the major gaps identified was the challenge faced by professionals working in the field of inclusion and their ability in keeping up with the latest research and strategies used to support children on the autism spectrum. By providing the HoD’s (Inclusion) / INCO’s with current strategies being used to support students on the autism spectrum, the AX Foundation will enable them to demonstrate their successful use in classrooms, upskilling teachers and LSEs in the process.’
To address this, AX Foundation is ready to finance a training programme for over 35 teachers. In collaboration with the National School Support Services and has reached out to National Autistic Society (NAS) in the UK, one of the leading institutions in this field, to lead the training sessions here in Malta.
‘The training already started in October in order to be implemented within this school year. It’s a beginning of a long road but ultimately we believe it will contribute towards making a significant difference in the lives of persons with hidden disabilities on a National Level in the years to come’ – Claire Zammit Xuereb concluded.