Autism is known as a development disorder that begins before the age of three and impairs development of social and communicational skills throughout life. Most autistic children suffer from mental retardation at varying levels. They all have difficulty in perceiving the world surrounding them. The cause of autism is yet to be revealed despite ongoing research.  

Education of autistic children in Turkey is plagued by inadequate conditions. There are only eight schools in Istanbul for autistic children. All were opened in the last few years. The first one to be founded is the Autistic Children Education Center in Kağıthane District. The center has 62 students at different ages and 35 teachers, including the administrative staff.   

To contribute to education of autistic children the IHH offered help to the center. The foundation donated to the center cleaning materials, a fridge, a washing machine, wardrobe for teachers, meeting table for the teachers’ lounge, two white boards, and educational tools such as skill cubes, concepts set, wooden number scale, sewing set, etc. The school administration and families of the students thanked the IHH for the materials and charitable people for their donations.