海角大神

No parent is ever prepared to hear that his or her child is anything other than happy and healthy. But there are聽many ways in which special education can help improve the quality of life for children who聽have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The Unique Gift Foundation鈥檚 school in Saidpur,聽northern Bangladesh, is a helping hand to families of such children.

The Unique Gift Foundation is a nonprofit founded in 2012. Its mission is to offer support, giving children the confidence to perform day-to-day tasks without聽depending on their parents or others. The school was the first one dedicated entirely to autistic聽children to open in the Nilphamari district, the highest ranking聽region in education in the country, about 250 miles from Dhaka, Bangladesh鈥檚 capital.

The school鈥檚 founder, Tauhida Sultana, is a businesswoman who grew up in the same district as聽the school. She was motivated to establish it following her experiences with a nephew diagnosed with autism,聽and because she witnessed the distress of other families affected by the disorder. She recalls one聽family who kept their child hidden from guests, isolated and tied up in another聽room of the house.

A UNICEF report published in 2014 estimates that between 1.4 percent and 17.5 percent of聽children in Bangladesh have special needs or disabilities 鈥� as many as 10 million children. The聽report notes that much work needs to be done to fully realize their rights. Many parents tend to聽hide their children鈥檚 disorders out of fear of embarrassment. The children often struggle聽with social skills, speech or聽nonverbal communication, as well as repetitive behavior.

Worldwide, 1 in every 160 children is said to have autism, and they are often subject to discrimination.聽But according to the World Health Organization, behavioral treatment and parental skills training programs can聽reduce these difficulties, and have a positive impact on well-being and quality of life.

Twice a year, the Unique Gift Foundation provides teacher training programs on child聽development, nutrition, psychology, and therapy. Teachers at the school learn to assess each聽student鈥檚 individual needs. Along with academics, the school offers classes in physical play,聽socializing through conversation, art, and music. Students also learn how to share their snacks,聽ride a bicycle, comb their hair, organize their books and bags, use the toilet, and say their prayers,聽among other things.

The school鈥檚 principal, Rubayatul Islam, says, 鈥淐hildren on the autism spectrum rarely like to聽interact with people of their own age. They might easily become angry and start a scuffle, so聽teachers need to calm them down.鈥�

The stories of students at the Unique Gift Foundation school indicate that they can learn to adapt.聽Nine-year-old Nurul demanded a lot of attention from his parents. 鈥淗e would break utensils and聽other things within his reach if we did not respond to his call. We did not care for his behavior聽and thought he would change as he grew older,鈥� says Nurul鈥檚 father. When Nurul was 6, his聽parents put him in a regular school. His father recalls, 鈥淗e would get into fights, scream, and bite聽others. The principal called me one day and asked me to take my son home because of his聽abnormal behavior.鈥� Nurul鈥檚 parents enrolled him in the Unique Gift Foundation school. A year聽later, their son was friendly and calm with his fellow聽classmates.

Three-year-old Afia had a severe speech impairment along with acute attention deficit聽hyperactivity problems. She had a tendency to remain silent and isolated. Sohana Akhter, a聽teacher at the school, says, 鈥淏eing friendly and loving with her, along with professional聽counseling, has brought changes in Afia鈥檚 behavior.鈥� Afia now plays with other children, and聽can pronounce words such as 鈥渕other鈥� and 鈥渨ater.鈥澛燭hough Ms. Sultana mostly funds the school, the children鈥檚 parents must pay a small fee to run the聽school, which currently has 33 students, 17 teachers, and eight staff members. People from the聽district and surrounding areas wanting to set up schools for autistic children frequently visit the聽school to learn about its methods.

The foundation now aims to build an autism village in the same school district with modern聽facilities such as hospitals, computer labs, psychotherapy centers, playgrounds, and guest rooms.

This story was reported by The Daily Star, a news outlet in Bangladesh. The Monitor is publishing it as part of an international effort by more than 50 news organizations worldwide to promote solutions journalism. To read other stories in this joint project, please click here.