More than 500 people gathered in Perdana Botanical Gardens, Kuala Lumpur for Run for Autism 2026, a charity carnival aimed at bridging the gap in early intervention services.
The event, held to support The Hope Project, was the brainchild of Dr Jochebed Isaacs, who felt the calling a decade ago to provide resources for families who could not afford private treatment for children with autism.
Isaacs, who also founded Early Autism Project (EAP) 20 years ago, established non-profit arm The Hope Project after observing that many parents were priced out of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) treatment in Malaysia.
“At EAP, at least 50% of our students go on to speak well and enter the schooling system.
“However, many are not able to afford this,” she said at the carnival.
Isaacs said she grew up being taught the importance of sharing even the little she had with others, and drew inspiration from her father Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, an academician active in civil society work.
“Despite growing up in a humble family with very little, I was always taught to share.
“This is a value I still uphold today, and with the skills I have, I want to share my knowledge on autism with parents worldwide.
“Just before the Covid‑19 pandemic, we created a free online guide for parents called Autism At Home, available on YouTube.
“It is a series of videos to help parents support their autistic children.
“We have about one million views,” she said.
In November, an app will be launched for parents and teachers to learn more about ways to support autistic children.
All proceeds from the charity run will go directly to The Hope Project to subsidise services for low-income families and build capacity for non‑profit autism centres.
Isaacs added that no one in her family has autism, but she remained passionate about the cause.
“I do not feel we need a family member with autism to be part of the cause.”
Federal Territories Sports Council chairman Datuk Stuart Ramalingam, who flagged off the run, said: “I want to acknowledge the parents for their patience, love and sacrifice for their children.
“They are heroes without capes.
“Success is achieved with proper programmes and resilience.
“In the world of artificial intelligence, there is still no shortcut when it comes to parenting.”
The Hope Project said some 4,000 individuals with autism were supported through the online platform, while partnerships with non‑profit centres reached over 1,600 children.
Resources available to the public include over 250 free online videos.
