2 April - World Autism Awareness Day

[Carbon82]

During her internship as an Educational Therapist, my daughter works with and supports ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) personnel through their education (her client ranged from 4 to 21 years old), and hearing her daily encounters, I personally find heightening of awareness towards autism is very much needed in Singapore.  

World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day on April 2 every year, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about people with Autism Spectrum Disorder throughout the world. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly resolution (A/RES/62/139), passed in council on 1 November 2007, and adopted on 18 December 2007. It was proposed by Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, the United Nations Representative from Qatar and consort to Emir Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and supported by all member states.

World Autism Day is one of the seven official health-specific UN Days. The day itself brings individual autism organizations together all around the world to aid in things like research, diagnoses, treatment, and acceptance for those with a developmental path affected by autism.

The original resolution had four main components:

• the establishment of the second day of April as World Autism Awareness Day, beginning in 2008
• invitation to Member States and other relevant organizations to the UN or the international societal system, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to create initiatives to raise public awareness of autism
• encourages Member States to raise awareness of autism on all levels in society
• asks the UN Secretary-General to deliver this message to member states and all other UN organizations

The theme for 2022, determined by UN is "Inclusive Quality Education for All"

An observance event will be held virtually on 8 April 2022, 10:00 - 11:15 a.m. EST (10:00 - 11:15 p.m. Singapore time), for participating members to share on Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) – Quality Education. 

SDG 4 focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, as the foundation for improving people’s lives and reducing inequalities. The specific targets for SDG 4 refer to the need to ensure “equal access to all levels of education and vocational training” for persons with disabilities and building and upgrading education facilities that are disability sensitive and that provide “inclusive and effective learning environments for all.”

In this respect, the SDGs echo the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Article 24 of the Convention recognizes that persons with disabilities have the right to inclusive, quality education on an equal basis with others and that reasonable accommodation of the individual’s requirements should be provided.

Inclusive education is the key to the transformative promise of the Sustainable Development Goals, to LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND.

[Jman888]

my girl has been working with the special needs pre school children for 3 years, they do early intervention and corrections to prepare these kids as much as they can for main stream school.

once you have knowledge of the symptoms, you can spot people with autism in public and understand their behaviors when most people think they are noisy or weird. 

[Lala81]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/say-yes-my-autistic-sister-27-year-old-putting-sibling-all-else-even-marriage-2601051

 

[Carbon82]

On 4/2/2022 at 11:28 AM, Jman888 said:

my girl has been working with the special needs pre school children for 3 years, they do early intervention and corrections to prepare these kids as much as they can for main stream school.

once you have knowledge of the symptoms, you can spot people with autism in public and understand their behaviors when most people think they are noisy or weird. 

Sounds like what my daughter is doing for her internship, except that she also works with teenagers and adults (21 years old), helping them with adjusting their behavior at school.

Some background / history about Autism for those interested. 

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by behavioral and communicational affections that impact a person’s ability to navigate social interactions and also causes repetitive and restricted behavior.

The first historical appearance of the word “Autism” was made in 1911 by the psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, who used the term to describe a specific cluster of symptoms that were considered simple symptoms of schizophrenia as an extreme social withdrawal.

In that order, it was in 1943, when pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Leo Kanner characterized Autism as a social and emotional disorder in his article “Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact”, and in 1944 Hans Asperger published his “Autism Psychopathology Article” where he described autism as a disorder of normal intelligence children who have difficulties with social and communication skills. These articles were an important contribution to the studies that helped to classified Autism as a disorder separate from schizophrenia in 1980.

[SuPerBoRed]

lol timely share... i think i spotted one in another thread...  😆

[RadX]

Check out the Docu on CNA “wired differently “

 

it’s on MeWatch

 

Wired Differently
https://www.mewatch.sg/show/Wired-Differently-280876
 

[RadX]

24 minutes ago, SuPerBoRed said:

lol timely share... i think i spotted one in another thread...  😆

Happy fella?

[mersaylee]

There's this little gal at the centre where my daughter was interning...very bright, very high IQ...very disruptive too. The lessons were too lame and boring to her level...she even observed how the staff access the gantry...and sneaked out of the centre once but returned after only 5mins becos no one to disturb outside 😅

 

[Carbon82]

Good to see the government sector walking the talk. Let give our blessing to these people, to enable them to live normally. 

More adults with autism to be employed in healthcare sector under new agreement

SINGAPORE - Mr William Low, 22, enjoys his work at IHH Healthcare Singapore's (IHH SG) corporate planning department, where he checks patient records for discrepancies.

He has autism and likes the office's quiet environment, which he says enables him to focus on his work well.

He has been working at the private hospital operator for almost a year now, and was previously employed at a private dental clinic.

"It feels good to be employed. I am making a living for myself, earning money," he said.

Mr Low is one of 15 adults with autism who have been able to land a job in the healthcare sector as a result of a collaboration since 2019 between IHH SG and the Autism Resource Centre (ARC), a non-profit organisation that supports people on the autism spectrum.

The number of hospital employees with autism is set to grow, with a new three-year agreement between both organisations to train and equip more people on the spectrum with skills suitable for the healthcare sector beyond IHH SG's hospitals and clinics.

This means more kinds of jobs will be open to individuals with autism, said Ms Jacelyn Lim, executive director of the ARC.

IHH SG, the largest private healthcare provider in Singapore, runs four hospitals including the Mount Elizabeth hospitals in Novena and Orchard.

The 15 employees with autism under IHH SG work in the pharmacies and radiology and medical records departments, as well as in the corporate offices. Their roles include the sorting of medication and X-ray films, and resolving data discrepancies.

"Persons on the autism spectrum do have certain traits, like attention to detail and precision, so that works quite well for the healthcare sector where patient data records are very critical," added Ms Lim.

IHH SG chief executive Prem Kumar Nair said: "In healthcare, we are very short of staff. Healthcare is always operating at below the levels that we need. We've got two kinds of staff - those in the front line and a lot of backroom work such as bills and records management."

The memorandum of understanding between the ARC and IHH SG was inked on Sunday and witnessed by President Halimah Yacob at the Enabling Village in Lengkok Bahru.

Under the agreement, the ARC may now train more individuals with autism for healthcare roles needed by other institutions.

The ARC's Employability and Employment Centre helps to place people with autism in suitable jobs with training and support from job coaches.

IHH SG will also work with the ARC's job coaches to finalise the job scopes that match each employee's strengths and abilities, and provide conducive spaces and equipment for training.

Such on-the-job support has been shown to increase their employment outcomes.

Mr Low said he tends to get easily distracted and this can result in doing things other than work. To overcome this, his job coach created a reward system: When he makes only one or two mistakes, he is allowed to surf the Internet while waiting for patient records to arrive.

This motivates him in his work and Mr Low is gearing up for a zero-error target next.

To create a more inclusive workforce here, Singapore set out a target recently to have 40 per cent of working-age people with disabilities employed by 2030, up from about 30 per cent between 2020 and 2021.

The ARC has helped place nearly 400 people on the spectrum in employment over the past decade.

Jobs have been found across 40 companies, in sectors such as food and beverage, urban farming, logistics support and bespoke craftsmanship.

Ms Lim noted that the retention rate is high, with 95 per cent of them staying in their jobs after six months and close to 90 per cent of them doing so for more than a year.

A substantial number of them stay on the same job for five years on average, she added.

The three-year partnership between IHH SG and the ARC was sealed on the sidelines of an 8.2km fund-raiser walk that marked Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital's 10th anniversary.

The two Mount Elizabeth hospitals also pledged $100,000 to the centre.

The walkathon saw about 250 IHH SG employees, ARC clients and their family members covering the trail from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital to the end point at the Enabling Village.

[Kopites]

https://mothership.sg/2022/11/autism-perspective-public-transport/

PERSPECTIVE: "Sitting among the crowd, I feel anxious. I need to make some sounds and rock my body to regulate. However, this sometimes attracts hostile stares from strangers, and even scolding from them. I know they don't like me. But what should I do? I just want to go home.”

 

https://www.facebook.com/caringsgcommuters/posts/do-you-know-about-the-may-i-have-a-seat-please-card-and-lanyard-this-initiative-/1462810034207515/

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Kopites

[SGMCF328]

Glad to read and share this kind of news. 

S’porean Mum Fought For Son’s Education After His Autism Diagnosis, Today He’s Accepted Into NTU

Source: https://mustsharenews.com/man-autism-ntu-freya-joshua/

Any mother wishes the best for their child, and Freya Lim, 49, is no exception.

When Joshua Yap, 21, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a toddler, Freya decided that she’d raise him no matter what — and after years of efforts and challenges, she can now be proud.

For Joshua has been accepted to a local university, is socially active, and even tutors primary school children in badminton, one of his favourite pastimes.

All of this appeared impossible when Joshua was two, as he had developmental delays and could not utter a word.

Instead of giving up or denying his condition, she sent him for years of therapy while learning plenty herself about how to raise a child with autism.

She even continued working full-time as a video producer while taking care of Joshua so that she could continue getting him professional help.

After her son Joshua was born, Freya Lim had recurring nightmares of being in a race.

But while other participants carried one haversack, Freya had to struggle with three. She’d also have recurring dreams about drowning underwater.

It seemed to be a metaphor for what she was going through as a caregiver to a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

But these days, Freya tells MS News that the nightmares have eased. And perhaps this is because Joshua has grown up into an independent, social, and compassionate young adult.

He’s been accepted to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and will begin his studies when he finishes his full-time National Service in Oct 2024.

[13177]

On 3/14/2023 at 8:33 AM, SGMCF328 said:

Glad to read and share this kind of news. 

S’porean Mum Fought For Son’s Education After His Autism Diagnosis, Today He’s Accepted Into NTU

Source: https://mustsharenews.com/man-autism-ntu-freya-joshua/

Any mother wishes the best for their child, and Freya Lim, 49, is no exception.

When Joshua Yap, 21, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a toddler, Freya decided that she’d raise him no matter what — and after years of efforts and challenges, she can now be proud.

For Joshua has been accepted to a local university, is socially active, and even tutors primary school children in badminton, one of his favourite pastimes.

All of this appeared impossible when Joshua was two, as he had developmental delays and could not utter a word.

Instead of giving up or denying his condition, she sent him for years of therapy while learning plenty herself about how to raise a child with autism.

She even continued working full-time as a video producer while taking care of Joshua so that she could continue getting him professional help.

After her son Joshua was born, Freya Lim had recurring nightmares of being in a race.

But while other participants carried one haversack, Freya had to struggle with three. She’d also have recurring dreams about drowning underwater.

It seemed to be a metaphor for what she was going through as a caregiver to a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

But these days, Freya tells MS News that the nightmares have eased. And perhaps this is because Joshua has grown up into an independent, social, and compassionate young adult.

He’s been accepted to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and will begin his studies when he finishes his full-time National Service in Oct 2024.

This guy has Autism Spectrum Disorder and yet can finishes NS and accepted to a local uni.