About Us
A Professor in London diagnosed my son, Kasra, as Autistic when he was two and a half years old. Our lives as a family changed forever. Kasra’s mother and I were in a state of shock and felt completely lost. What does it mean to be Autistic? Where can we get the best support for our child? Can he attend normal schools or not? What kind of upbringing must he have? Above all, how can we ensure that he remains happy?
The two years which followed were the most difficult years of my life. Relevant information we could use was very hard to find. There are thousands of articles on the internet, hundreds of books and a huge variety of professional opinions. Who do you trust? Which direction is best for my child?
These are difficult questions that parents of children on the Autistic Spectrum need to find answers to quickly. Since every child is different, there is no fixed answer either. However, the first critical step any parent needs to take is to understand Autism and how to manage it. Only then you can make correct and intelligent decisions for your child.
Friend of Autism Foundation (Dooste Autism in Farsi) was created for this very purpose. To help Autistic children and their parents navigate the future with clarity, hope and happiness.
We established Friend of Autism Foundation – FoA – in 2016, to support the 300,000 Autistic children in Iran. However, we soon realized that there is little we can do for Autistic children without trained Tutors. Iran will need 30,000 trained Tutors. FoA quickly shifted its focused to the training of Tutors plus Clinical services for Autistic children up to the age of 15. We developed an innovative program with the assistance of one of Queensmills (largest autism school in London) past Headmaster and Kiana (President of FoA), where Tutors for Autism could be trained within 3 months. Our unique textbook has 12 chapters for 12 weeks. Each week is spent half on academics and half on one-to-one work with Autistic children. A workbook (record of progress for children) is also used in combination with the textbook. Our approach uses the best tools from various Autism support techniques such as ABS, TEACHH and PECS to support every autistic child’s unique and individual needs.
Within five years, FoA has become the largest Autism support organization in Iran. We have trained over 300 Tutors and support 900 Autistic children and their families. Upon the successful completion of their 3 months training, Tutors receive a FACT Certification (Friend of Autism Certified Tutor), enabling them to work independently, with a school or an organization such as FoA. 65 FACT Tutors work full-time with our Foundation now. Our Clinics offer Autistic children One to one Tutoring, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and Psychological support for their parents.
We have 5 FACT Training and Clinical centers now; 2 in Tehran, 1 in Gazvin, 1 in Gorgan, 1 staring in Karaj and 1 staring in Yazd. We plan to open 3 to 4 Centers per year, until every one of the 32 provinces in Iran have at least one Tutor Training & Clinical Center.
On a personal side, my most important advice to parents of Autistic children is that you have to accept your child’s autism as a gift from God. When you recognize and accept the gift, darkness will be replaced by light, fear by hope and above all, despair will be replaced with a magnificent love. You will wholeheartedly share your child’s individual challenges and celebrate their wonderful achievements.
Kasra has been my greatest gift in life; he taught me humility, compassion, philanthropy, and a commitment to God’s work. He transformed me into a far better person than I would have ever been. He gifted me with a deep love I had never experienced before.
Autistic Angels – as I like to call them – are difficult, I grant. The blessings they bring, on the other hand, are endless and beautiful. I earned a Masters in Business Administration from one of the top Business Schools in the world. I helped build a very successful manufacturing company which is on the Iranian Stock Exchange. I founded the Friend of Autism Foundation. Yet, my greatest pride and joy in life is being Kasra’s father.
I hope you have or soon will accept the wonderful gift God has bestowed upon you with your autistic child. When you do, the love and blessings will be endless, as Kasra would say, “again & again & again & again & again”. Insh’Allah.
Sincerely,
Massoud Amiri
Kasra’s father
