Chrislane Manibusan, right, talks about the Family to Family Health Information Center during the Rotary Club of Saipan’s meeting on April 2 at Crowne Plaza Resort.
AS part of their advocacy during Autism Awareness Month, a representative from the Family to Family Health Information Center was the guest speaker of the Rotary Club of Saipan meeting at Crowne Plaza Resort on Tuesday, April 2.
The center is a free program under the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation’s Maternal & Child Health Bureau.
According to a release, the center provides education regarding on-island services for children with disabilities and support for “families’ encounters with healthcare systems.”
The center provides a number of support services to families with special needs children, including support group guidance with parent leaders; learning sessions for caregivers; access to community programs and referral assistance; and peer-to-peer support within the CNMI and off-island for those scheduled for medical referral.
At the Rotary Club meeting, the center’s family support specialist, Chrislaine Manibusan, said there is a need to include children with autism in community and social events.
“I think the community is well aware that there is a…population of individuals with autism,” she told the media after the Rotary Club meeting. “Now it’s [more about] accepting their differences and their different abilities that they bring to the table,” she added.
She said in particular, children in the community could be exposed to learning materials about autism so they can understand that children with autism will sometime behave differently.
Adults in the community, for their part, could also help raise awareness about autism.
On Monday, April 1, Gov. Arnold I. Palcios signed a proclamation designating April as Autism Awareness Month.
Several activities are scheduled for April:
• On April 6 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Walk for Autism will be held at American Memorial Park.
• A learning session titled “Understanding the IEP” or individual education plan is scheduled to take place in the Sunflower Room of Saipan World Resort from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 11.
• Ride for Autism is scheduled for April 13. More details will be announced soon.
• Family Fun Day at Hopwood Middle School from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 27.
• Quiz Nite from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. also on April 27, at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.
