Embrace Autism Malaysia & the Buddy Program
Embrace Autism Malaysia (EAM) consists of parents with autistic children who attended the SonRise Program, a loving approach for individuals with autism. The SonRise Program empowers parents with key insights and techniques to bond with their autistic children at any age. We practice and advocate for relationship and play-based approaches with our children. We want to build a community of hopeful, empowered parents raising children on the autism spectrum. In 2021, we launched are very first EAM Buddy Program whereby we recruited Buddies to play with our kids, the SonRise way.
SonRise views autism as a social relational disorder, therefore making play and communicating in a non-demanding and non=controlling manner key components of the approach. Parents who practice the SonRise approach enjoy fun activities and much bonding with their children. By recruiting enthusiastic people who want to learn new approaches and enjoy playing with our autistic kids, it not only benefitted our kids tremendously but the Buddies too. The Buddy Program recruited and trained 10 Buddies for 5 families in 2021. This was a pilot project to test the feasibility and improve on the program to open it up to more parents around Malaysia. Some of them are eager to share their experience with their Buddies.
Buddies & their Buddies! 
Durgendran (left) with his Buddy
Durgendran, Buddy to 6-year old boy, is a Graphic Designer by profession and immediately volunteered to be a Buddy to his nephew. He says, “Being a Buddy is cool, and a wonderful experience. All I have to do is, be a kid and have lots of fun. A mixture of dancing, jumping, running, singing, laughing, etc. Besides the fun and laughter, the play sessions also taught me a lot of lessons and provided me with personal development experiences which I find very beneficial for me.”
Chui Ping (right) with her Buddy!
Chui Ping who is a retired Corporate Trainer and Buddy to 10-year old girl, finds it fulfilling after each session knowing she’s contributed to her Buddy’s growth each time. She says, “Initially, when I started, I did not know whether I was doing the right thing. Now I know what to do, and the boundaries I can work with. Especially since I understand more about kids with special needs.” Chui Ping is keen to see progress and want to help in terms of her Buddy growing up.
Hui Min (far right) having online session with her Buddy.
HuiMin’s journey with her 13-year old Buddy, is slightly different. They have their sessions online since they started their program during the lockdown. She recently graduated in Early Childhood Education and enjoys every session she has with her Buddy, “My experience has been wonderful. I cherish more of the moments spent with my Buddy because to me, the final result is not important. At the same time, I am delighted every time my Buddy is able to learn new words. Things might not work out 100% perfect always but as long as we put in our 100% effort into it as a Buddy, it is definitely worth it.”
Jane (left) with her Buddy
Jane who is a college student and part-time teacher enjoys all of her sessions with her 7-year old boy Buddy. She says , “One take away from Buddy program is, I have learnt to follow the child and let them lead the way. I always believe that all children are unique and special. Instead of us making decisions for them, we should listen to them and take their lead. Not because we want to pamper them, but let them explore and we just guide them.”
Recruiting New Buddies Now!
In 2022, EAM has included more families who attended the SonRise Program and is currently recruiting more Buddies across Klang Valley and Seberang Prai, Penang. Recruitment is currently on-going for candidates aged 16 years and above.
Here are some of the benefits of being an EAM Buddy:
- Learn to inspire growth through deep acceptance and animated play in a 1-to-1, customised home environment.
- Receive training and mentoring in a child-led, relationship-based play approach that is fun and meaningful.
- Learn techniques that may help you be happier, creative, spontaneous and confident in your interaction.
- Link up with a community of EAM Buddies and autism allies
- No prior experience or training needed. Anyone can be a Buddy! If you are looking for self-development opportunities, love working with children and want to be a part of meaningful service, this is for you.
In return for the EAM Buddy training and the chance to be part of a child’s amazing journey, we ask that you:
Commit to a part-time EAM Buddy position
For a minimum 2 sessions per week for at least 6 months
- Each session is 2 hours
- Earn RM15/hour (volunteer positions also available)
- Be open, non-judgemental and accepting during the play sessions (we will help you)
- Be willing to receive feedback and open to exploring thoughts and feeling through discussion
- Willing to travel to the child’s home. We have placements in Klang Valley: Ampang, Bangsar, PJ, USJ and Shah Alam as well as Penang: Seberang Prai (you may choose one or more than one location)
Applications are open until 1 March 2022. Upon enquiry, interested candidates will be asked to submit their details via a Google form. Then, the EAM team will review applications and assign candidates to selected preferred locations. Next, families assigned to the Buddies will organise an interview with potential candidates to allow both parties to get to know each other better. Online training and engagements with Buddies will take place between April to May 2022. Trainings will be online and conducted in a group, whereas engagements with Buddies will take place 1-to-1 and guided by the parents. Interested candidates can reach out to EAM via Facebook or email.
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