Jusan Singularity, together with the iTeacher Academy, adapted an Apple programme for teaching exceptional children. Students now have access to a two-week programming course on the Swift language. Upon completion, the children created their first games for iPhone.

The children were mentored by Smagul Negmatov, an Apple Trainer Certified mentor. The first 17 adolescents aged 14 to 18 with various diagnoses (cerebral palsy syndrome, Tourette's syndrome, dysarthria, bradyacuasia) received new knowledge in programming. The basics of programming were also studied by wards from the SOS village, where children live with foster parents.

In total, according to Anara Sadykova, the director of Jusan Singularity, 70 applications were submitted from Astana.

‘A lot of requests were received from regions, especially from the south,’ Sadykova notes. ‘The Association of Parents of Exceptional Children was also interested in the project. It is planned that the school will launch permanent offline streams for teaching programming to exceptional children,’ Anara Sadykova notes.

The training took place at a school furnished with high-quality equipment and conditions for learning and recreation. The main goal of the school is to identify the potential of children and their interest in a technical specialty so that this can become their professional guide. 
For children, according to the organisers, this is a special challenge: they get programming skills, can decide on their future profession, and become confident in their abilities and that they are capable of more. This breaks stereotypes and fears in exceptional children, and this is a real opportunity to socialise them and unleash their potential.

Source: Tengrinews.kz