MyVueNews Staff-writer
Basseterre, St. Kitts, 4th September, 2018 (MyVueNews.com) – The first Autism centre in the Eastern Caribbean will be opened on 4th September, at the Early Childhood Centre, Frigate Bay Road, in Basseterre.
The Spectrum Services Autism Centre, as it will be called, comes after four years of autism therapy development led by St. Kitts-based autism advocate Ms. Mauricer Marshall, Florida-based Certified Autism Specialist Dr. Sheryl Rosin, as well as the Ministry of Education.
At a recent ceremony to receive equipment for the centre, Dr. Rosin stated, “Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the world with a prevalence of 1 in 59. It affects 1 per cent of the world, and St. Kitts and Nevis is no different… I identified 58 cases on island, but believe there are many more.”
Continuing, Dr. Rosin said, “The opening of this Centre will change the landscape of disability in St. Kitts and Nevis and provide opportunities for children and families to receive the quality and effective services they deserve.”
On 30th August, the Christophe Harbour Foundation, in partnership with Source Relief Inc loaded several palettes of furniture, autism therapy and assessment tools onto a United States Air Force C-17 cargo plane destined for Basseterre, St. Kitts, in what was Operation Autism Relief.
Foundation Board member Katherine Verano said, “After talking with Dr. Rosin, I was surprised to learn how much there was still to do to develop autism programs here in St. Kitts and Nevis.”
There is no cure for Autism, but many evidence-based practices can be used to change the course of a child’s life and help them to reach their full potential.
A Christophe Harbour employee and parent of an autistic child brought the need for local services to the Christophe Harbour Foundation.
She explained that after the Centre’s needs were identified, the Christophe Harbour Foundation enlisted the help of Source Relief Inc., a non-profit organisation started by South Carolina-based global sourcing and logistics company, Source Consulting, LLC, to ensure the supplies were delivered to St. Kitts on time for the opening.
The shipment represents a total donation of $36,450 in goods and services by the Christophe Harbour Foundation and logistics support by Source Relief Inc.
Top photo: Dr. Sheryl Rosin (in black dress) speaking about the autism program in St. Kitts and Nevis. With her are representatives of the Ministry of Education, including Permanent Secretary William Hodge, members of the Christophe Harbour Foundation, representatives of Source Consulting and representatives of USAID out of Barbados.