Published: Thursday January 8, 2015 MYT 1:28:00 PM
Updated: Thursday January 8, 2015 MYT 3:30:04 PM
Updated: Thursday January 8, 2015 MYT 3:30:04 PM
Autism centre forced to move five days after moving in
PETALING JAYA: A centre for children with autism was treated to a rude shock when asked to vacate their new premises barely five days after moving in.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Autism Consultancy founder and program supervisor Charlene Marie Samuel said the first signs of trouble came last Saturday.
Their premises at a gated community in Cheras was approached by a resident.
She also spoke in the post of how things escalated on Monday when the centre was set to begin applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy with parents and children, starting with a call from her therapists at 7.30am saying that guards at the boom gate had received instructions not to let them in.
Samuel said she then spoke to her property agent and the landlord who owned the house Autism Consultancy was using.
"An hour later, my therapists were still waiting at the guardhouse. Guards were given instructions that no visitors/owners/tenants were allowed into no 13, Jalan 3/1B," claimed Samuel
She added that her therapists, as well as a client who arrived at 10am with her two-year old son were instructed to park outside the guardhouse and walk approximately half a kilometer to the centre.
"There is also a park about 200 metres away, so it would also have been nice for children to play in. The children could play in a garden and porch and wouldn't be as restricted as they would be in an office setting," she added.
When contacted by The Star Online, Samuel said that as the residents have made their opinion clear, the early intervention centre would be moving out of the house as she does not want to put clients or therapists in a difficult situation.
"I gave them my word that if we are not wanted in the community - we will leave. We will be packing up and finding a new space where we are accepted in the new community. We have to respect the wishes of the community," said Samuel.
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