Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) or ARC(S) is a

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

-based

non-profit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

established in 2000. It was established by professional and parent volunteers dedicated to serving children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to help them lead meaningful and independent lives.

Programmes

ARC(S) runs the following programs: * WeCAN Early Intervention Programme (WeCAN EIP) - This provides direct intervention to children with autism who are 6 years old or younger using an internally developed autism curriculum. WeCAN EIP is the first internationally accredited early intervention programme in Asia by the National Autistic Society, United Kingdom. It currently serves 102 young children. *

Pathlight School Pathlight School is a special school for children with autism in Singapore. Founded in 2004, it is run by the non-profit Autism Resource Centre and comprises one half of the national educational provision for autistic children. The school educat ...

- This is the first

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

-focused school in Singapore offering mainstream academic curriculum, together with life readiness skills. The school caters to 7 to 18 years old students with ASD and related disorders who are cognitively able to access mainstream academic curriculum but require additional support in the form of smaller class sizes, special accommodations and teaching staff trained in autism. Pathlight presently has more than 1000 students enrolled in 3 educational programmes: Primary School, Secondary School and Vocational Track. * Autism Intervention, Training and Consultancy Unit (AITC) - This program offers training endorsed by Singapore's government and social service agencies to empower teachers, school leaders, professionals and family caregivers who support individuals affected by ASD. AITC also provides direct intervention services for individuals with ASD in education and workplaces. * Employability and Employment Centre (E2C) - Launched on 19 March 2012, E2C serves the needs of teenagers and young adults with autism by providing a stable and predictable environment where adults with autism can be trained in employability and vocational skills to become productive members of the workforce. It has served more than 130 adult clients with autism and trained close to 50 adults now in various job placements.

Collaborations

In 2005, ARC's

partnered with

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

and set up a cafe training facility for youth with autism to provide them with skills. In 2014, Starbucks opened its 100th store in Singapore at

The Fullerton Waterboat House The Fullerton Waterboat House, originally known as the Water House, is a historic water supply house formerly used to supply fresh water to incoming ships in Singapore. The former Water House was gazetted for conservation in 2002 and has since re ...

, with six employees hired from ARC.

References

External links

Autism Resource Centre

WeCAN Early Intervention
{{Authority control 2000 establishments in Singapore Autism-related organizations Disability organisations based in Singapore Child-related organisations in Singapore Singaporean voluntary welfare organisations Organizations established in 2000