— seeking support for venture
THE Guyana Greenheart Autistic Society will hold a gala fund-raising dinner at the Princess Hotel at Providence, East Bank Demerara on Saturday, June 23 from 19:00hrs. A ticket to this auspicious occasion costs $10,000, and can be had at the Guyana Greenheart Autistic Society’s offices at Quamina and Thomas Streets, Georgetown, or at the Princess Hotel on the evening of the dinner.
Complimentary attractions include an interlude of elegant dance performances, and a short cultural presentation.
Chairman of the Society, Mrs. Karen Williams,  said Thursday that tickets have not been going as fast as they had anticipated, and is therefore calling on persons to consider and appreciate the motive behind the gesture, and “respond with hearts of love.”
Reiterating the need for a compassionate response to the initiative, Williams outlined that the Society caters to the needs of autistic children, and has at this juncture critical needs that must be responded to with great urgency.
The most immediate needs at this time are to be provided with comfortable accommodation, and with facilities and amenities to cater for the needs of the children, who are considered as special cases.
Additionally, as the number on roll continues to grow, there is need for an adequate teacher who must be trained in the field.
After a prolonged period of hardships, experienced through not having its own accommodation to meet the needs of its school, the Society appealed to former President Bharrat Jagdeo and former Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who initiated the train of events for the Society to acquire a building. Williams is happy to report that, following national elections, the mandate was taken up by Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, and other government officials, resulting in the Society being facilitated with accommodation for a school.
The Society is now housed in a building at the corner of Quamina and Thomas Streets in the city, owned by the Ministry of Health,
The society wishes to specially thank President Bharrat Jagdeo who, shortly before demitting office, met with a body of ‘People with Disabilities’ at the Police Officers’ Mess, where he listened to their concerns, and invited suggestions from them on what they thought would solve their problems and ultimately promote their self–development.  Having heard from them, President Jagdeo took on-the-spot decisions and issued instructions for those needs to be met.
It was on that occasion that Ms. Hughes raised the issue of provision of accommodation for a school for the Autistic Society.
While expressing appreciation to government for this kind humanitarian gesture, Hughes said the Society must now forge ahead and acquire resources to equip the school, as well as find money to pay the tutors and other operating costs. She said the Society is also looking to partner with the Ministry of Education, with the hope that, that ministry would take the responsibility of providing teachers for the school.
At this juncture, the society wishes to express appreciation to Food For the Poor Guyana Inc for assisting with the provision of furniture for the children. The Society hopes that, in the long term, it would be able to acquire its own building.
Support the Autistic programme, an autistic child may look quite normal, but is differently able and has special needs.

Novel concept
Here in Guyana, like in many other countries, autism is a novel concept among the majority of people; but for a handful of households who have had to deal with an autistic child, it is an integral part of everyday living.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life, and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.
It is defined by a certain set of behaviours, and is a “spectrum disorder” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, also called Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD).
All these disorders are characterised by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills; social interaction; and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour. In other words, autism is:

*      A mental disorder, which means it affects the way the brain works
*      Not contagious
*      More common in boys that in girls, for reasons still unknown
*      Found throughout the world in families of all ethnic and social backgrounds; and does not have a cure, but has treatment options that can help an autistic child lead a fulfilling life.

For children with autism, specialist individual education, therapies, and structured support can make a difference. It is known that there are biological or neurological differences in the brain; but the nervous system has remarkable plasticity, and one part can take over and compensate for another part.
Early diagnosis and treatment programmes are therefore crucial for the improvement and progress of a child with autism, and the general concurrent is that, with assistance, autistic children are able to learn to maximise skills and achieve their full potential.
Though there is no cure, and children do not outgrow autism, stakeholders agree that autism is treatable, and this can lead to significantly improved outcomes.
More importantly, with the right services and support, people with autism can live full, healthy and meaningful lives.