Ministry, Autismjo conclude first stage of educational course for mothers, locals

AMMAN — The Ministry of Social Development and the Society for the Care of Gifted Autistic Children (Autismjo) on Monday concluded the first phase of a nationwide awareness programme on autism, mainly targeting mothers.

The programme started in the central region and is planned to expand to the southern and northern regions, explained Bashar Dalain, director of the disabilities department at the ministry and Autismjo's President Yousef Damra.

On Monday, a training course led by Autismjo's training manager, Najah Fuad, attracted the participation of mothers of autistic children, specialists and school children. According to Zaidoun Bkour, the director of the hosting centre, Al Manar in Sahab, the idea behind inviting school children from the local community is to prepare the right atmosphere to integrate children with disabilities into a normal school climate.  

The move acquires its importance from the fact that the Social Development Ministry is working on a strategy to ban licencing of privately owned sleep-over centres for people with disabilities, which necessities that families of children with disabilities be involved in their training and care at home. 

Damra of Autismjo told The Jordan Times that his society has been doing its part in this drive since the inception of his organisation three years ago, by focusing on training mothers of autistic children to become professional trainers on behavioural, speech, occupational and physiotherapy and take some of the pressure off the centres affiliated with the social development ministry. 

Minister of Social Development Hala Lattouf has previously highlighted the ministry’s concern with training mothers of children with disabilities, in accordance with its plans to integrate these children and their families into society. 

She said that the ministry is continuously cooperating with civil society organisations and charities to raise mothers’ knowledge and ability to care for their special needs children.