Spreading autism awareness through art

TDT | Manama                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Reported by Zahra Ayaz

The UN declared last month as Autism Awareness Month, and many volunteers in Bahrain observed this by organising both online and offline activities to raise awareness.

At the RIA RAC center, an inclusive school in Adliya, children, parents, and artists met on Saturday, April 29, to celebrate and raise awareness of autism through art. A team of three volunteers, early childhood educator Mrs. Raji Murali, artist Mr. Niju Joy, and interior designer Mrs. Khushbu Dubey took the initiative to organise the event for a good cause.

The event started with an opening speech and followed with inauguration by Dr. Henna, a consulting Gynecologist Mom with her Autistic son Basil Jackson Mughal, a diehard fan of Mickle Jackson.

For kids, there were many entertaining activities like coloring pages, finger painting, puzzles, cubing, hula hooping, treasure hunts, skill exchange platforms, and fashion shows. Local artists performed live painting and took part in collaborative artwork.

“To create awareness among teachers, parents, children and the public about autism spectrum and inclusive education, we had called our 2023 campaign “Paint your Superpower” to provide a platform for children to know their unique abilities in a creative way,” Mr Niju Joy told The Daily Tribune.

“We visited numerous schools in Bahrain to ask them to support the campaign since the Autism Awareness Month has been approved by the UN, and unexpectedly, a lot of them did support, along with The Daily Tribune, and there will be more such events in the future.”