A Story About Amal

Two days after our first Anniversary celebration, one of the parents arrived at the centre excitedly shouting “She is in! She got accepted”.
Our 5-year-old student – let’s call her Amal* –successfully passed the mainstream school’s interview and assessment. Amal’s parents were very excited to explore with us the steps of the smooth transition planned for the inclusion of their young daughter.It all started when Amal was 2 years old, her mother knew that something was different.

She did not recognize anyone, she missed several milestones for her age, she did not speak, she was not able to make requests, she became withdrawn and focused on tasks like lining up toys instead of playing with them, and firmly sticking to a routine. After a year of observation and several diagnoses, the parents came to the conclusion that their little angel is on the Spectrum.

A life changing moment filled with fear, denial and sadness. Being a practical and forward-looking person, her mother took her to afternoon sessions in centres all over the city, expecting this would enable her to enter mainstream school. However, all this achieved was learning basic life skills such as eating, going to the bathroom and getting dressed independently. There was slight progress, but the idea of attending a mainstream school seemed like a far-fetched dream.
‍
In 2021, Amal’s mother heard about Meem’s holistic approach in developing the skills of autistic children and she decided to enroll her. During the 10 months period, Amal showed progress in reaching different milestones. In addition to our little hero’s readiness for school, she can now request what she wants and the things she likes such as toys, going to the toilet, asking for food… Amal’s vocabulary went from a few simple words to 300 words. Moreover, her play and social skills showed significant improvement. 

It hasn't been an easy ride for Amal’s incredible support system. We need your help to make other families’ journeys easier