A new Autism Niche Area has been launched at Nelson Mandela University in a big step of progress that will help teachers and parents support Autistic learners with their education!
Gqeberha, South Africa (08 October 2024) — As more and more people become familiar with the realities of neurodiversity, one important question continues to pop up: ‘What is our education systems doing about it?’. For Nelson Mandela University (NMU), a hopeful answer lies in its new Autism Niche Area.
Since 2011, Professor Nokhanyo Mdzanga has been relentless in her pursuit to bring the autism Niche Area into action. Last week, she and others working alongside her, finally saw their vision become tangible.
NMU officially launched the start of what the Autism Niche Area hopes to become. At its cornerstones are two educational programmes that hope to help parents and teachers alike. One course focuses on identifying learners with Autism so that they can be referred for diagnosis, while the other helps teachers working in mainstream education to teach autistic children in their schools.
Why This Means Progress?
Because Autism is a spectrum and can manifest in many different ways specific to each individual, there are many young people who fall through the cracks of the system. Some can go all the way to adulthood before ever learning they are on the spectrum; which can mean a lot of confusion as to why typical teaching methods simply haven’t worked for them.
Others simply do not have the resources for support that should be provided by schools; leaving South Africa’s promise of equal education at a shortfall. Especially on our continent, special needs schools are few and far between, or non-existent in the context of many rural communities.
In both cases, educational support falls behind, and opportunities to help learners reach their full potential are missed. So, having a resource that is equipping teachers and parents isn’t just a big win for a more inclusive South Africa, but a win for South Africa’s educational prospects as a whole.
Education is a Right, not a Privilege
“For us, education is not a privilege. It is a right for every child to be educated,” says NMU Professor Heloise Sathorar.
“The goal is for all our teachers, both in service and pre-service, to learn how to support and teach learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder, equipping them with the skills and strategies needed to create an inclusive and specialised learning environment,” adds Prof Mdzanga who is a parent of an Autistic teen herself.
“This niche area is for every parent who is not sleeping because they do not know where to go or what to do. It is dedicated to scholarship in learning, teaching, research, internationalisation and innovation within the field of autism. It aims to address challenges and opportunities associated with Autism as well as enhance the support and development of individuals with Autism,” Prof Mdzanga says.
The Autism community in Gqeberha were imperative in support the development of the programmes. Former principal of Quest School for Autistic Learners, Joan Jorritsma (who also chairs Autism Eastern Cape) as well as founders of the Umphanda Foundation for Autism, Lizahn Burger and Khosi Netnou all played a big role of support.
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