VIVACELL-MTS SUPPORTED CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
Lragir.am
19:08:41 – 24/12/2008
14 mln of assistance went to special kindergarten for children
with autism.
VivaCell-MTS a subsidiary of Mobile TeleSystems OJSC (NYSE: MBT),
announces that today the Company’s representatives visited special
kindergarten for children with autism located at 21 Saryan street
in Yerevan. The kindergarten operates year round and accommodates 15
3-12 year-old children.
During this whole year VivaCell-MTS provided AMD 14 million of
assistance thanks to which children attend this institution with
no fee.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically
appears during the first three years of life and is the result of
a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the
brain. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties
in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and
leisure or play activities. Autism is four times more likely to strike
boys than girls. People with disabilities need special care as often
they are unable to solve elementary problems.
No special statistical data concerning this disorder exists in
Armenia. But the mere fact that such a kindergarten exists, by itself
proves that this problem did not bypass Armenia.
A child won’t "outgrow" autism as there’s no cure for it. But children
can learn to function within the confines of the disorder, especially
if treatment begins early. Intensive early intervention yields a
tremendous amount of progress in children by the time they enter
kindergarten, often reducing the need for intensive supports. Children
with autism require specially designed services and support to reach
those goals.
This year intervention services in the special kindergarten made a
profound difference in outcomes for the children: they not only started
paying attention to each other but also show signs of communicating and
playing with each other; now some of them try to explain themselves
– so many things that one can take for granted until seeing a child
with autism.