autismlebanon.org

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The Lebanese Autism Society - LAS - was founded in 1999 by parents of Autistic children along with professionals in medicine and education.

In October 2000, the LAS started a pioneer project in Lebanon entitled: "School Integration of Autistic Children". The project's main objective is to give a chance to Autistic children to live and learn in a regular school, in the least restrictive environment rather than being in a center for handicapped children.

At that time, we established two classrooms in Lycee Abdel-Kader. A multidisciplinary team, which consists of: a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a psychologist and special educators, follows the children in those classrooms.

Since September 2007, the LAS has moved to the Collège du Sacré-Coeur at Gemmayzeh and has 20 autistic students with several classes and programs.

Concerning the integration, it depends on the grade level of the child and his capacities to follow up in a regular context. In fact, the class of younger children has a better chance to integrate specific subjects in academic classes depending on their skills. Whereas the teenaged children are integrated in non-academic activities: physical education, recess, arts, music and school events. Plus, the class of adolescents aims towards the integration in the community.

The main objective of the project is to allow the autistic child to function in a regular setting since his early age, as well as to familiarize normal children with this disorder. By interacting in a least restrictive environment, the autistic child has a greater chance to adapt to the society as well as to recover from his disabilities.