Rotary Club of York, in partnership with Rotary International District 7070, Rotary Club of Agincourt, Rotary Club of Markham Unionville, Rotary Club of Toronto East, and Sunrise Montessori School, was proud to raise more than $13,000 in donations to Autism in Mind (AIM) Children's Charity.
AIM was founded in 2011 by Suki Choi who wanted to make a difference in the lives of children with autism.
AIM currently serves more than 50 autistic children, aged between 2 and a half to 11 years old, half of whom are with
Oriental origin. Hoping that through their services can help these children to get ready before they can be integrated to the school system.
Oriental origin. Hoping that through their services can help these children to get ready before they can be integrated to the school system.
Services include:
1. Assessment and therapy for children with autism.
2. Applied Behavioral Analysis (IBA) and Intensive Behavioral Intervention
(IBI)
3. Occupational Therapy (OT)
4. School readiness
5. Saturday social skills
6. After school respite
7. Holiday camp
8. Sensory art program
Autism is a developmental disorder that appears early in life, including difficulties in interacting with people, narrow interests, unusual interest in specific subjects, repetition of language, etc. 70 – 80% of people who are diagnosed with autism also have developmental delays. Today, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism in Ontario and 160,000 children are currently on the waitlist for funding to receive treatment. On average, these children wait for 2 – 4 years before they receive
government assistance. Unfunded, autism treatment can cost a family $60,000 a year per child, a figure that is out of reach for most.
government assistance. Unfunded, autism treatment can cost a family $60,000 a year per child, a figure that is out of reach for most.
According to William Chiu, the CEO, AIM will use the donations to purchase expensive special training equipment for one of its important services. A new Sensory Integration Room can help to adjust the mood of children with autism and enhance their abilities. Life skills. Although this training program is very helpful for children with autism, unfortunately many families are unable to participate in the program due to financial difficulties.
Hadia Raheel, President of Rotary Club of York mentioned that through the contribution to AIM, we hope to raise awareness on the urgency to support individuals with special needs and to encourage community to learn more about the challenges faced by these individuals, thus children with autism would be given an equal opportunity to learn and develop.
Please contact AIM for further inquiries
info@autisminmind.org,
www.autisminmind.org