The UKM Autism Learning Lab

Abstract

The UKM Autism Learning Lab, which is situated in the Faculty of Education, was established in 2009 with the funding from the University Research Grant. The laboratory's main objectives are to investigate the most effective methods in teaching children with autism in order to develop effective teaching modules for these children and modules for their teachers. The lab provides daily educational services to 17 students, with ages between 5 to 17, who have been diagnosed with Autism. Currently, the lab has 9 research assistants who teach these children. The laboratory also provides opportunities for students at the Faculty of Education who are pursuing studies in Special Education to undergo hands-on experience in interacting and teaching children with autism. Apart from this, the laboratory is also active in disseminating information and knowledge on autism and effective learning techniques to members of the public. The laboratory is dedicated towards disseminating important information about autism in order to have its research findings implemented nationwide, touching more people whose lives has been effected by the disorder. Beginning from 2011, the team from the the lab has conducted courses and workshops across the country. One of the major training projects is the collaboration with Semai Bakti, an organization under the auspices of the First Lady of Malaysia. With this collaboration, the team from Autism Learning Lab has been entrusted to train supervisors from Community-Based Rehabilitation centres nationwide, paving the way towards better education for not only children with autism but also children with various disabilities in these centres across Malaysia. Monthly workshops for parents with children with autism have also been conducted to provide them with information and knowledge on the special ways needed to deal with their children. These workshops have received tremendous positive feedback and are very much in demand, prompting the lab to conduct the workshops in other states in the country. Aside from the monthly workshops, the lab also gives advice and counseling via telephone and face-to-face appointments. The research staffs are also in the process of documenting the teaching and learning techniques that has been implemented in the lab, with the aim of publishing a complete manual and resource for teachers, parents and caretakers in the field of Special Education. It is hoped that all these efforts will lead to a heightened awareness of autism and its challenges, not only to the children with autism but also their parents; to train teachers and parents to understand these children better and to be able to educate them more effectively, and finally to have a positive impact on the country's policy regarding the educational needs of children with autism.