Services & Resources
Our Services
We offer offers a range of services including awareness and educational programs, parental and family support, school support, and therapeutic services for autistic individuals and their families. All services, with the exception of online training, are offerings that do not require payment.
Psycho-Educational Support
Post-diagnosis psycho-educational support at state hospitals and clinics around the Western Cape in under-resourced areas.
Counselling & Support
Counselling and ongoing psychosocial support for individuals diagnosed with autism, their families and carers.
Advocacy
Advocacy for the right to education of children diagnosed with autism as well as other advocacy initiatives within the autism community.
Training & Workshops
Training and support at ECD centres, special care facilities, and at both mainstream and full-service schools, along with workshops for parents, caregivers, and service providers that influence policy.
Online Learning
Online learning initiatives which cover a range of CPD-accredited courses as well as SETA-accredited courses. All services, with the exception of online training, are offerings that do not require payment.
Sensory Kits
The compilation and distribution of visual stimulation kits needed for communication skills, as well as programme stimulation kits (this includes an early learner kit, school readiness kit, sensory kit, as well as adult stimulation kit).
Our Stimulation Toolkits
School Readiness Kit
Our school readiness kits include a booklet with activities and the following:
- Bubbles
- Play Dough and cookie cutters
- Paint and paint brushes
- Paint-by-number pages
- Colouring in pictures
- Crayons and pencils
- Scissors
- Pritt
- Beads and string
- Memory game
- Tennis ball
- Pick up sticks
- Skipping rope
- Bean bag
- Finger paint
- Lego/Building blocks
- Bell or rattle
- Coloured clothing pegs
- Tissue paper
- Pegboards
School readiness refers to whether a child is ready to benefit from formal education in a group context. This means a child has learned the necessary skills to be able to cope and thrive in the first grade of school – known as Grade 1. The first grade of school is the first formal year. All years leading up to this grade are considered informal schooling. For a child to reach their full potential and benefit from formal education, being school-ready is of vital importance.
When children are pushed into a grade they are not ready for, they not only do not benefit but also often regress. They may struggle to keep up academically, which may negatively affect their self-worth and emotional development. They might even struggle to socialise if they are not yet mature enough for the group, and this has negative effects on their social development.
In order to be ready for the first grade children need to be ready in all areas of development – social, emotional, cognitive and physical development.
School readiness can be actively facilitated with a little forward planning to ensure that children regularly participate in activities that develop the appropriate skills required to help optimal learning when they start school.
Starting a new school year can be anxiety-producing for any child or parent, but for individuals on the autism spectrum, the anxiety can be more severe. Parents will worry about how their child will do both academically and socially. Children will worry about facing a new teacher, making friends, and just being able to navigate through the building and the school day.
Students diagnosed with autism usually share characteristics that could make the transition to new classes or new schools difficult, not only for the student, but also for the parents and the teachers. The desire to maintain sameness in the environment and follow routines, difficulty in understanding verbal instructions, literal thinking, reduced flexibility, and social difficulties can turn a seemingly simple transition into a great difficulty without support. Using various visual supports can reduce your child’s anxiety by providing them with the much-needed information on the school environment and routines.