To help individuals with an autism spectrum disorder maximise their potential in life through advocacy and provision of services in education, employment and empowering of family caregivers / professionals.
A Catalyst for Change
ASD exists on a spectrum from High Autism /Low Ability to Low Autism /High Ability. Quite often children and adults present with many different symptoms, depending on a combination of factors including severity of ASD characteristics, Intellectual functioning, personality type, age at diagnosis, and positive or negative influences of the environments in which the person is expected to function.
In Singapore, it is difficult to provide a statistical figure on the actual number of persons affected by autism. Based on recent research, we expect a prevalence rate of 24,000 individuals with autism in our population of 4 million, of which 5,472 are children under the age of 19 years. We estimate that 216 new cases of children with autism are diagnosed annually.
The establishment of the Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) or ARC(S), was a response to the growing concern that the needs of this diverse population go beyond existing provision. ARC(S) aims to highlight the needs of these individuals and to increase understanding and awareness of autism in our community. We have adopted a coordinated, multi-agency approach in serving people with autism spectrum disorders and this can be found in the services ARC(S) offers.