30 January 2019 – The Brunei Autism Seminar was conducted by Autism Partnership Singapore, co-organised with Growing Minds Learning Center and UTB, which saw over 250 participants, comprising of medical professionals, educators and parents joining the event. Also present were Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of UTB, Yang Mulia Dr. Hajah Noor Maya Bte Haji Md Salleh and other principal officers. The seminar was held at the Multi-purpose Hall, UTB.
The guest speaker for the event, Yang Mulia Dayang Nurhayati M. Ismail, Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Senior Case Supervisor of the Autism Partnership Singapore conducted the two-day workshop that covered areas on understanding autism and the current treatments available, Behavior Management and Developing Spontaneous Language.
This two-day informative workshop was designed to give participants an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the information on its available treatments. The workshop ended with complimentary consultation sessions to the parents.
As disruptive behaviors may be common amongst autistic children, making sure an autistic child gets the treatment he or she needs can be challenging. The workshop covered effective steps to help caregivers, educators and parents in managing child’s behaviors and develop their motivation to speak.
Also present at the event was, Growing Minds Learning Center, a local-based Autism Learning Center to provide support to parents and caregivers. Yang Mulia Ms Vicky Ong, Manager of Growing Minds mentioned that, “It is important for parents to identify key indicators or certain peculiar signs of their child’s behavior.” She added that it is crucial to provide early intervention to address these behavioral issues, in order to support their learning development in the long run. The center provides one-on-one personalized education which incorporates ABA principles to teach language, communication, appropriate play skills, self-help skills and academics.
Autism is the fastest growing disorder in the world. There is much misinformation surrounding the diagnosis, what is the most effective treatment and what are the causes of autism. The two-day workshop also aimed at utilizing research and current scientific findings to separate facts from myths related to Autism Spectrum Disorders.
