The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

Under the theme "An Evening with the Stars", Blairwood Academy and Friends celebrated their students during the school's first ever autism ball last Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar.

Blairwood Academy, a special education school located on Village Road, also hosted this event to mark the 10th anniversary of its Autism Unit.

The gala event included dinner and dancing, as the accomplishments of the school's students were highlighted.

For more than 26 years, Blairwood Academy has served elementary and high school students who learn best when given individualised attention in a small school environment. The school serves a wide range of students, including those with learning disabilities.

At Blairwood, instructors and therapists specialise in science-based programmes for students with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity.

Shemeca Moss, head instructor of the Autism Unit, said it gives her warm feeling knowing how their students overcome their challenges on a daily basis. To celebrate the students at the autism ball was a joy for all, she said.

"It is a wonderful feeling and the children felt comfortable. They were aware of the atmosphere and were excited to perform with Julien Believe in a special performance. We decided to host this because we said let's open up to the community, and let's celebrate everyone. Let's bring everyone together with children who deal with autism. We just wanted to highlight those people. This is also just to bring more awareness because these children are a part of our community and everyone can learn to understand how we are embracing autism," said Shemeca.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. The term "spectrum" reflects the wide variation in challenges and strengths possessed by each person with autism.

Shemeca said Bahamians can look forward to much more as the year progresses, with events planned for Spring, and a new building unit to be added to the school's autism space.

"The unit has grown so much. We started off with only eight children and now we have over 35. Specifically within the autism unit we need our Bahamians to come back home after studying abroad because we need a lot of therapists. The therapists that are here, they are stretched thin so we are in need of that, speech therapists especially," she said.

For more information, contact Blairwood Academy at 698-3329 or e-mail blairwoodacademy@gmail.com, or visit Blairwood Academy on Facebook.

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