Mental Health &
Learning Difficulties
Day centre for children with autism and other mental disabilities

Fondation Dora is supporting the medical and institutional development of the Morning Star Center, a day centre in Hanoi for mentally disabled children.
People with mental disabilities in Vietnam receive very little support. The only available statistics attest to a major increase in the number of cases of autism (which multiplied by 50 in Hanoi from 2000 to 2007 and by 160 in Hô-Chi-Minh City during the same period).
The Morning Star Center works with around 400 children a year in its clinic and treats 200 children a year in its specialised education programme. It promotes early intervention for children with autism or other mental disabilities.
In particular, Fondation Dora has provided support to train Morning Star care staff in the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) method. Several therapists have been certified by the M.I.N.D. Institute of the University of California and are now able to train other therapists.