has teamed up with Improve Jamaica Limited to donate educational toys and supplies to Windsor School of Special Education in support of World Autism Awareness Month 2019.

Last Tuesday, the companies handed over more than 80 educational toys, stationery supplies and craft materials to the Greater Portmore school during the institution’s annual World Autism Day devotional exercise.

During the month of April, the institution places the spotlight on persons living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

In recognising the theme for this year’s World Autism Day, ‘Assistive Technologies, Active Participation’, Everyday Value and its partner opted to assist in the development of autistic children through the provision of learning resources that foster holistic and functional learning experiences.

TECHNOLOGY IS KEY
“Technology is the way forward, and we know that access to affordable assistive learning tools are among the many challenges teachers face when preparing students for the real world,” said Shanice Nation, marketing manager for Everyday Value.

“We wanted to be able to bridge that gap, even if it’s done on a small scale. We also wanted to gain a deeper understanding of what it’s like for children living with ASD, and one of the things we found noteworthy is that early detection and treatment increase the likelihood of children developing stronger hard and soft skills.”

Autism is classified as a broad range of developmental disorders that affect behaviour and communication. Though individuals can be diagnosed with ASD at any stage of life, symptoms usually appear from as early as two years old. There is no one type or cause of ASD, and there is no known cure.

Dionne Henry-Levy, vice-principal and grade six teacher of the Windsor School of Special Education, said “In order to effectively engage our students, individualised support, systematic instruction, and a structured learning environment is important.”

Windsor School of Special Education comprises five units located in Spanish Town, Greater Portmore, Linstead, and two in May Pen.