East London-based Early Childhood Development centre, Autism Sinethemba, is celebrating its 10th birthday tomorrow and to commemorate the centre’s successes over the last decade, pupils and teachers enjoyed cake and treats at the school on Friday morning.
Blossoming from a tight-knit parent support group, the school puts all of its efforts into catering to and creating awareness of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The school is situated in Cambridge at the St Pius Catholic Church and started with one classroom, six children and three dedicated staff members.
Today, the school boasts four equipped classrooms, 12 staff members and caters to 38 autistic children between the ages of two and seven.
“We really have come a long way, growing slowly and steadily over the last 10 years,” said founder and director, Antoinette Bruce-Alexander, who decided to start the school when she realised there were limited options available for her own autistic son.
“I first started a small parent support group, and from there we realised we all had the same problem – we needed a place for our kids to learn and grow successfully. At the time, the only school available was McLelland and it could only accommodate six children.”
Autism Sinethemba operates as a non-profit organisation (NPO) and relies on fundraising and school fees to cover its running costs.
This year, through a generous donation from Lotto, the school received a fully operational bus and has started its own bus service, transporting pupils from Beacon Bay, Gonubie, Abbotsford and Amalinda to and from school.
Extramural activities such as music therapy, Clamber Club and Kinder Kinetics are also offered by the school. A therapy dog also visits each class weekly.
“Autism is a complex, lifelong disorder that manifests in various ways in different people. Our goal is to provide the necessary structure, stimulation and teaching that allows children with varying levels of autism to learn successfully,” said Bruce-Alexander.
Father of a former pupil, Sibahle Stofile, said the school played a massive role in his son’s development. His son was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old, exhibiting difficulty with communication and social interaction – a common aspect of ASD.
“My son was always a loner and he battled communicating with people, he used to just grab things out of your hand. The first thing I noticed was that he started to ask for permission and say please and thank you for what he wanted, after spending just one week at the school,” said Stofile.
“His attitude completely changed when he was at Sinethemba and now he is doing really well in Grade 1 at College Street. I think his English is better than mine.” — madeleinec@dispatch.co.za
10 years helping ASD kids thrive
Blossoming from a tight-knit parent support group, the school puts all of its efforts into catering to and creating awareness of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The school is situated in Cambridge at the St Pius Catholic Church and started with one classroom, six children and three dedicated staff members.
Today, the school boasts four equipped classrooms, 12 staff members and caters to 38 autistic children between the ages of two and seven.
“We really have come a long way, growing slowly and steadily over the last 10 years,” said founder and director, Antoinette Bruce-Alexander, who decided to start the school when she realised there were limited options available for her own autistic son.
“I first started a small parent support group, and from there we realised we all had the same problem – we needed a place for our kids to learn and grow successfully. At the time, the only school available was McLelland and it could only accommodate six children.”
Autism Sinethemba operates as a non-profit organisation (NPO) and relies on fundraising and school fees to cover its running costs.
This year, through a generous donation from Lotto, the school received a fully operational bus and has started its own bus service, transporting pupils from Beacon Bay, Gonubie, Abbotsford and Amalinda to and from school.
Extramural activities such as music therapy, Clamber Club and Kinder Kinetics are also offered by the school. A therapy dog also visits each class weekly.
“Autism is a complex, lifelong disorder that manifests in various ways in different people. Our goal is to provide the necessary structure, stimulation and teaching that allows children with varying levels of autism to learn successfully,” said Bruce-Alexander.
Father of a former pupil, Sibahle Stofile, said the school played a massive role in his son’s development. His son was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old, exhibiting difficulty with communication and social interaction – a common aspect of ASD.
“My son was always a loner and he battled communicating with people, he used to just grab things out of your hand. The first thing I noticed was that he started to ask for permission and say please and thank you for what he wanted, after spending just one week at the school,” said Stofile.
“His attitude completely changed when he was at Sinethemba and now he is doing really well in Grade 1 at College Street. I think his English is better than mine.” — madeleinec@dispatch.co.za
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