KEMAS EXPANDS 19 TABIKA FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 

KAJANG, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- The Department of Community Development (Kemas) has begun the 2026 school session with a strategic move to strengthen the early childhood education ecosystem for children with special needs through the expansion of 19 Tabika Tunas Istimewa (Autism) nationwide.

Kemas Director-General Datuk Mohd Hanafiah Man said the expansion reflects the department’s continued commitment to providing structured and inclusive early intervention for children on the autism spectrum.

He said the initiative began as a pilot project in 2025 in Melaka, involving the districts of Jasin, Melaka Tengah and Masjid Tanah, before being expanded nationwide this year.

“The implementation of the pilot project in Melaka previously showed encouraging child development, with positive feedback from parents when their children began to demonstrate improvements in communication and social interaction.

“This expansion involves at least one Tabika Tunas Istimewa in every state, except Perak, which has two tabika, and the Federal Territories with three,” he told reporters after visiting the Kemas Tabika Complex in Bandar Seri Putra here in conjunction with the school opening today.

Tabika Tunas Istimewa@KEMAS is an initiative by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development to provide inclusive early education for children with special needs, particularly autism, aged four to six.

Mohd Hanafiah said the selection of children for Tabika Tunas Istimewa is carried out through official screening by the Ministry of Health (MOH) as the main channel for determining eligibility under the mild autism spectrum category.

“This screening process also involves officers from the MOH, and at the same time, the requirement to possess a Social Welfare Department card must also be fulfilled,” he said.

He said that as of January 2026, a total of 154 children are enrolled in 19 Tabika Tunas Istimewa nationwide.

-- BERNAMA