Globe, ASP, DepEd unite to reach out to children with autism

MANILA, Philippines - Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom, the Autism Society Philippines (ASP), and the Department of Education are tapping into information and communications technology (ICT) for the necessary tools to support learning and communication of public school children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

To pilot test the use of ICT for education especially for children with special needs, Globe and ASP have chosen P. Gomez Elementary School in Sta. Cruz, Manila and P. Villanueva Elementary School in Pasay City. The schools will receive free one-year internet connectivity from Globe and a visual-learning software and related training for teachers and parents from ASP.

“As part of our commitment to spread the use of ICT for education and using technology to promote social inclusion, Globe Bridging Communities, the corporate social responsibility program of Globe Telecom, takes another major step this year by partnering with ASP for our Internet-in-Schools program (ISP). We are excited over this collaboration with ASP since we would be able to give pupils with ASD who are studying in public elementary schools, a chance to enjoy the benefits of technology in improving learning delivery,” said Yoly Crisanto, head of Globe corporate communications division.

“ASP will be introducing for the first time in the Philippines, a visual learning software that can run on any PC as long as there is internet connection. Even older PCs can be tapped for this project. Hopefully, aside from P. Gomez and P. Villanueva, we can also implement this project in other public SPED centers and give more children with ASD a better chance to improve their education,” Crisanto added.

There are currently only 231 public SPED centers in the country with an alarming 25:1 student-teacher ratio. The figure leaves no room for dedicated attention for the unique needs of students which have a mixed host of disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, hearing/speech/visual/physical impairment, among others. Moreover, most of them have outdated, non-functioning computers and non-existent internet connection.

With the lack of facilities and special education professionals in public SPED centers, Globe and ASP believe that ICT can help address the problem by allowing easy implementation of differentiated learning across a class of unique learners. Thus, the two organizations decided to join hands to provide the necessary technology that will allow children with ASD to learn faster and easier even when they are already at home.

ASP, on the other hand, being a national, non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of persons with ASD, was able to acquire a technical grant of two full licenses of VizZle, a multi-awarded visual learning software that has the capability to add video and audio and share lessons across a web-based library. It was created through collaborations with the Monarch Center for Autism and Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School.

DepEd, Globe and ASP are confident that the initiative will inspire more organizations to be involved with special-needs pupils within the public school system as well as encourage more private-public collaboration to reach out to a greater number of people for them to understand and support the plight of children with ASD.