The Current Practices and Challenges of a Community Based Early Intervention Centre for ASD Children in Malaysia

Abstract

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.