Be with SEN — online teaching resources for autism come to parents’ aid

Kids with autism spectrum disorder are often referred to as “children of the stars”, as they are bright yet distant. Not as rosy as the name suggests, reality for them is full of chaos, confusion and tears. With an autistic son, Gloria, the founder of Autism Grace Adventure, has been through it all. “He doesn’t know how to express himself, and when he gets emotional, he bangs his head against the wall. Back then, I didn’t know how to handle it, trying to stop him by saying ‘no,’ or keeping him quiet but to no avail.” Gloria came across ABA later on, which helped to improve the situation, and inspired her to start her own social innovation project.

Home-based therapy for a head start 

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) focuses on understanding how the environment affects autistic behaviour, and assists parents in implementing corresponding learning principles, strategies, and environmental modifications in nurturing new behaviours. It also facilitates autistic children to learn and socialise. However, this therapy is not subsidised by the government, nor is it easily accessible. Gloria explained that autism is usually detected at the age of 3 by parents or teachers, and it would take at least one to two years for all the assessments and consultations before getting a therapist in public services, which means it is likely to miss the best time for treatment before the age of 6. Intensive behavioral therapy could be a financial burden for parents in the long run, whereas ABA offers therapy from the comfort of home. “It is based on theories that parents could comprehend and apply in daily communication with their kids, so that training can start early.” 

Hourglass acts as an effective measure 

After studying ABA, Gloria found out how to communicate with her son effectively. “When he is unhappy, I taught him to express it via making a certain sound, so even though he may not be able to say ‘I don’t like this’, I can still recognise his emotions, and raise his attention to it.” In the past, her son would lose his temper when he got mad, now he learns to express it with “angry emoticons” and is willing to listen. “I give him an hourglass every time he cries, he is allowed to cry as much as he wants before it runs out, and he abides by it.” She hopes that more parents get to know about ABA, and experience its benefits. “Low-income families that lack resources are often helpless, they can only count on the government. I hope there can be more resources, but not more people facing the same difficulties.”

Low participation rate for free tutorials

Selected as one of the Incubatees of Impact Innovation Lab and receiving The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund, Autism Grace Adventure provides grassroots families with online ABA tutorials and SEN child care videos. Families that are fully subsidised by the government—with textbooks, transport, and disability allowance—can apply and access the teaching materials for free. However, Gloria noticed an issue: “Many parents assume the online tutorials are for kids, but actually they require parents and children to attend together, and some of them refuse to join.” 

Online exercises go hand in hand with physical workshops

The reality is that grassroots families are often occupied with work, they do not have time to attend therapy with their children, let alone research on various therapies, thus this has been the biggest challenge for the project. Gloria pointed out that the videos will help parents identify SEN children, with daily exercises to train their concentration. The project also provides a gamebook that cultivates children’s scanning and imitation skills through parent-child interaction. Parents can attend physical workshops and meet a professional therapist in person for enquiries.

“Parenting is the first step for all therapies, only when your child feels safe and trusts you can the training proceed.” Gloria will carry on reaching out to parents in need through various means. Where there is a will, there is a way — to make a difference for autism.