The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Autism Kiosk located at the Tom Redcam library in Kingston Jamaica now has two new resources guaranteed to assist parents, students of special education teaching, nursing and related service dispensation for the Jamaican Autist, in the form of two new additions to the kiosk.
The material added to the kiosk represent to detailed examinations of the Autism situation in Jamaica, done at the post graduate as well as undergraduate level.
The works emanating from the University of the West Indies Mona Campus as well as the University of Technology, both located in Kingston Jamaica.
One of the works which have been given over to the Library’s Autism Kiosk resourced by Courts Jamaica Limited is titled – “Social Investment in Children The Case of Autistic Children (Jamaica)” – authored by Sheena Marie Francis and for which she received an A, from the University of the West Indies where she studied the subject at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies Mona Campus.
The theses which can be accessed at the Autism Kiosk in Kingston, cites the fact that “ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that an average of one in one hundred and ten children in the United States have Autism”.
Ms. Francis goes on to state that – “Jamaica is guided by these statistics as there is currently no data which presents the total number of children affected by the disorder in Jamaica”.
In her work Ms. Francis does a comprehensive examination that examines “the trajectories of Autistic children and their specialized needs, and further explores possible policy interventions to address this social issue”.
Overall the work looks at the history and definition of Autism, causation crisis, symptoms, convention on the rights of the child, social investment in children, why invest in autistic children as well as the Jamaican context.
The material is crucial addition to the kiosk, as more indigenous examinations that are credible, enable those involved in the study of Autism in various forms, as well as those living with it, need material that is relevant to the local context in order to enable better and more effective coping mechanisms.
Maia Chung, Managing Director of the Foundation is very happy at the addition and the value of the work, “as we cannot address the problem if we continue to measure our situation with other countries”.
She adds the time has long past for more and more local research and investigations, am thesis that incorporate the local cultural context, awareness factor, diagnosis status and state involvement, in order for Jamaica to treat with our problems in this area”.
As well as making this most excellent resource available to the public with Ms. Francis’ permission we have a PDF copy in our archives and will with her say so disseminate it to those locally regionally or internationally who would like to use and examine the resource.
Another document that will join Ms. Francis’ work, for public use at the Tom Redcam Library is that of four students of the College of Health Sciences, School of Allied Nursing at the University of Technology.
That work is s titled “Parenting Children with Autism Coping Strategies of parents with Children who have Autism in Kingston and Jamaica”.
The work was researched and developed by Avra Var Bassaragh, Sherone Lotoya Barnes, Nadine Angella Chevannes and Francisca Onyedikachi Odimgbe.
The work was carried out as a part of the young women’s fulfillment for their award of their Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
In their work the women state that their study’s significance ‘is to open awareness of the levels of stress encountered by parenting children with Autism.
It also addresses the lack of available government supportive infrastructure for parents”.
The work examines how does learning that your child has Autism affect your life, what are the challenges faced in parenting a child with Autism, what are some of the coping strategies that can be used to help deal with this disability and how will parents of children with Autism benefit from support groups.
Both works were completed 2011 and represent up to date material that can be used by persons in the Autism segment of society to move for forward and spur progress.
Both works were presented to the MCADF Foundation and form a part of ongoing efforts by that organization, to seek out and encourage more local research on Autism that can be placed at the kiosk and is easily and freely accessible to those who need it.
These new resources were sent to the Kiosk by the Foundation on Monday March 26-2012 and should be available under the reference usage system that applies to the Autism kiosk.
Members of the public need only to visit the Tom Redcam Library in Kingston between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during regular opening hours. There is no cost to review the material.
These new additions to the Kiosk join audio visual material, books on Autism from around the world, pamphlets and other educational resources that are now at the Tom Redcam Autism Kiosk.
The Foundation would like to encourage persons to donate books videos or audio materials to the Kiosk, about Autism which can help educate the nation about the growing disorder in Jamaica and around the world.
To help the Foundation grow this outreach persons may email mcautismfoundation@gmail.com.
