The current practices and challenges of a community based early intervention centre for ASD children in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Abdul Alim Sidique, Faizanah, Khalid, Madihah, Abd Karim, Aishah Hanim, Abd. Hamid, Siti Rafiah, Sidek, Shahrul Na'im, Dzulkarnain, Ahmad Aidil Arafat, Md. Yusof, Hazlina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciedu Press 2022
• Subjects: LB1050.9 Educational psychology
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/101065/7/101065_The%20current%20practices%20and%20challenges%20of%20a%20community%20based%20early%20intervention%20centre.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/101065/; https://www.sciedupress.com/journal/index.php/jct/article/view/22753/14125
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

In Malaysia, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) play important roles in establishing community-based early intervention programmes for children with autism spectrum disorder. However, there are limited understanding of how the intervention programmes may be used in community-based settings. This paper aims to explore the practices and challenges faced by the community-based intervention centres in Malaysia. A principal, 6 teachers, and a therapist from IDEAS Autism Centre were selected as participants in this study through purposive sampling. Five main themes were identified through thematic analysis: [1] Admission Requirement, [2] Teacher’s Role, [3] Current Intervention Program, [4] Objectives and [5] Challenges. The results reveal that their curricula were self-designed through adaptation. This study provides a base to improve the community-based early intervention programmes.