Learning to Interact with Autistic Children at Visits to NASOM

Students from the International Medical University (IMU) Biomedical Science programme along with other students from the University’s health sciences programmes conducted a visit to a National Autism Society Of Malaysia (NASOM) School in Taman Yarl, Bukit Jalil. This activity was sponsored by IMU Cares and was carried out at three different visits of which two visits were in March and the last visit took place on 21 April 2015. The project was spearheaded by Shi Kin Tai and all the volunteers were briefed on the activities in three visits. Several games and interaction sessions were arranged for the autistic kids in order for us to get to know more about them. During the second visit, the dental lecturers educated the kids on the importance of maintaining dental hygiene. Both the students and participating lecturers worked together and interacted with the kids well.

‘It wasn’t easy, rallying all the volunteers and the kids and to make sure everything goes according to plan. It was even tougher getting the kids to focus on the task at hand but somehow we made it and all the volunteers as well as the lecturers ended up learning more about themselves as healthcare professionals while learning about autism at the same time.’, said Shi Kin Tai.

The overall three visits to the NASOM School were an overwhelming success and this empowers students to be more attention and detail oriented in their interaction with children who are slightly different but are nevertheless the same given patience and time. These children have what some might call a disability but as the world works in the principle of duality, the ‘disability’ that they possess might even have an advantage and it is the sole duty of healthcare professionals to tap into their vast potential.

Related story: IMU Staff and Students Visit Autistic Kids at NASOM School