KUALA LUMPUR: The Pengaman-PDRM Autism Centre aims to create more awareness on the importance of assisting autistic children through various programmes and engagements with the public.
Yayasan Pengaman Malaysia deputy chairman Tan Sri Hussin Ismail said the aim was for the centres to receive more assistance and support from the public.
He said the “Charity Ride to Phuket” was among the initiatives in collaboration with the British Graduates Association of Malaysia (BGAM).
“The event is our way of engaging with other NGOs while raising funds and awareness on autism,” he told reporters after the charity ride flag-off at the Police Training Centre here yesterday.
The flag-off was officiated by Police Air Wing commander Deputy Comm Datuk Noor Sham Md Jani.
Hussin said the charity ride involved 32 participants from the autism centre as well as BGAM.
“The convoy will meet with various associations, including in Perak and Perlis, before heading to Phuket,” he said.
Such collaborations, he said, were aimed at strengthening support services and educational opportunities for children with autism, particularly those from police families.
“The charity ride will be a first of many programmes aimed at increasing public engagement and support for autism-related initiatives.
“The autism centre has around 50 children, most of whom are from families of police personnel. The centre is staffed by 18 trained personnel, including certified educators specialised in autism intervention,” he added.
Hussin, a former Deputy Inspector-General of Police, said the centre has come a long way since its inception in August 2020.
“We are grateful for the tremendous response and support of police personnel as well as the public. We also realised that there are still many waiting for their turn to go through the centre’s assessment procedure.
“Those who want to apply for their children to go through the assessment can log in to the Pusat Autisme Pengaman website,” he said.
Besides assisting police personnel and the public with autistic children, the centre also serves as a reference for those who want advice on how to deal with matters involving autistic individuals.
BGAM president Datuk Kamarudin Md Ali said it was an honour to support and collaborate with the autism centre to help young people with disabilities.
The autism centre is a private institution owned and run fully by Yayasan Pengaman Malaysia and is registered with the Welfare Department.
