A free mobile application has been launched to equip parents, caregivers and educators with practical resources to support autistic children.
The Autism at Home app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play, aims to help children communicate using visual tools, guide them through daily schedules such as brushing teeth and set clear behavioural expectations in both English and Bahasa Malaysia.
Launched by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh at the Early Autism Project (EAP) 20th anniversary fundraising gala held at a Kuala Lumpur hotel, the app builds on EAP’s existing digital platform.
EAP director Dr Jochebed Isaacs hopes the app will reach 5,000 families within the next 12 months.
“I truly believe it will help the community and the nation immensely.”
“The app builds on EAP’s existing Autism at Home digital platform, which has more than 4,000 subscribers and approximately 2,000 active users.
“It brings together features designed to support children’s communication, understanding and daily routines,” Isaacs said.
She said many parents remain unaware of how to assist their children following an autism or speech delay diagnosis.
“I have been in restaurants where children were screaming and their parents did not know how to manage the situation.
“I felt sad for the child and wondered how I could help.
“Parents might try using sensorial items to calm them down, but if they do not provide the child with a way to communicate, the child will remain ‘stuck’. They cannot gain independence or learn.”
Isaacs added that as parents often do not carry physical aid items like books or flash cards, the app offers an immediate digital alternative on their smartphones.
The app features visual schedules, communication support for non-verbal learners, links to educational stories and videos, as well as a chatbot assistant to navigate available resources.
During the launch, Yeoh said as of Jan 1, 2024, the Kuala Lumpur Social Welfare Department had registered 6,876 children with autism.
Nationwide, registered individuals with autism stood at 99,000 as of October 2024, including 58,000 children aged six to 12, 17,000 aged 13 to 18 and just over 100 individuals aged 60 and above.
“This shows that over the last 18 years, increased societal awareness has resulted in more people under 18 coming forward to register,” said Yeoh.
She added that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had painted a GoKL bus in sensory-friendly colours to raise public awareness about autism.
According to her, DBKL had also provided government-subsidised horse-riding therapy facilities for children with autism.
“In the last eight months, we have officially gazetted 88 parks across Kuala Lumpur to protect them from being sold or developed and we plan to gazette another 200 parks by the end of the year.
“Our goal is to turn these parks into accessible facilities catering to diverse needs.
“Next year, we hope to establish a dedicated playground for children with autism to help them socialise outside their homes.
“We will definitely consult EAP to help us design these park spaces,” said Yeoh.
