Marcus Lum

Heep Hong Society has launched a parent-child social communication training program designed to provide one-on-one support for parents and children aged two to 10 who face social communication challenges, including those with autism.

Since its inception in 2017, the program has served about 400 children.

According to the society's educational psychologist Gigi Liu Ngai-tsit, participants have shown a marked increase in their willingness to engage in conversation and significant improvements in their overall social communication skills.

Liu said parents also benefit from the program, learning to communicate more effectively with their children and adopting a more positive approach in their interactions.

"Each training session includes 10 to 20 minutes of game time, allowing care workers to observe and record parent-child interactions. Feedback is provided by reviewing these videos during reflection sessions," Liu said.

To accommodate busy parents, the program has also introduced home visit-based communication training. "Conducting sessions in the child's home allows for more effective training, as care workers can utilize familiar surroundings and existing resources," Liu said.

One participant, Lai, shared how the program has positively impacted both him and his son, who was diagnosed with autism at three years old.

Lai described his son as stubborn and said attempts to engage him in conversation often ended in frustration, with his son frequently turning away and making little eye contact. Lai added his son's pre-nursery teacher had never observed him interacting with classmates.

"Through the course, I learned valuable interaction skills while playing with my son and realized that the parent-child relationship needs to be reciprocal," he said.

He encouraged other parents to mentally prepare themselves and to take an active role in their children's development.

marcus.lum@singtaonewscorp.com

Care workers observe and record parent-child interactions before providing feedback. Sing Tao

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