In October 2012, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) took the initiative to set up the IDEAS Autism Centre (IAC) in Rawang, Selangor, as part of our effort to provide care for those in need, and at the same time to research and develop a sustainable social enterprise model that can be replicated to help underprivileged children. The IAC is registered with the Department for Social Welfare (reg no: B/TI 151/2012)

Good quality care should be accessible for everyone. Early intervention care (3-9 years) is the most critical stage for children with autism and it is necessary for these children to assimilate into mainstream primary schools. Children with autism have significant strengths and can use these to develop skills that enable them to participate in society We work in partnership with EAP to achieve outstanding personalised services.

What We Do

The centre operates from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm. During this time, children attending the IAC receive daily care services, speech therapy, occupational therapy, as well as educational support to prepare them for mainstream school. The IAC also provides meals for the children, based on their healthy eating guideline.

The teaching method at IAC is inspired by the principles of home-based intensive behavioural treatment programme and applied behavioural analysis (ABA).

IAC’s curriculum is guided by the National Special Education curriculum which is tailored to the specific needs of the individual child. Every child is assessed prior to entry and a tailored individual educational plan (IEP) is then developed. This is then updated based on their progress and assessment at the end of every six months.

The main learning areas in the curriculum are attending skills, imitation skills, receptive language skills, expressive language skills, pre-academic skills, self-help skills, art education, music and movement, physical exercise, social skills and school readiness.

IDEAS Autism Centre