Individualised Parent-Based Training Programme

Individualised Parent-Based Training Programme

The following offers a concise summary of the ten-week parent training programme for parents of autistic children. Details about the sessions and the comments are provided in the table below – Please READ them very carefully to help you make your decisions about which sessions will be of interest to you.

Cost: $40/session – Each session is 3 hours long. All handouts and learning materials are included. Parents who are attending all ten sessions will get a discounted rate of $350.00.

Venue: Please contact me at kchoo7@gmail.com or 8163 4509

Time period: Ten-week period (once per week); Available days of the week are Monday, Friday or Saturday, 9 a.m. – 12 noon. Parents can choose which days they would prefer to attend the training course. The first course may start as early as the week of October 24th.

Please note: The available days are dependent on the level of demand.

Class size: In order to ensure the effectiveness of the training session and adequate attention for all participants, the class size will be set at no larger than 20 participants.

Weekly Session Topics

Week 1: Introductory Session
Ø Philosophical Tenets of the Training Programme – To help parents to shape their mindset and perspectives on how to work successfully with their children.
Ø Individualised Evaluation of the Child – To help parents to learn how to create a constructive profile of their child in order to develop an appropriate individualized learning programme.
Ø Overview of the Five Components of the Learning Programme: Academic, Social, Sensory, Living Skills and Exercises – To highlight the key areas of concern that should be addressed by parents in their formulation of an individualized learning programme.
Ø Basic Techniques for Teaching and Interacting with Child – To give parents a fundamental understanding of how they should implement the learning programme.
Ø Description of the Remaining Sessions – To enhance parents’ ability to work effectively with their children beyond the learning programme.

* It is advised that all parents who are interested in this training programme attend the introductory session to determine which areas of the training and learning programme are of interest to them. The subsequent sessions will focus on each of the five components of the learning programme; stress reduction strategies for parents; and the opportunities to apply learning to their children in the training setting.

Week 2: Academic Component of Learning Programme
Ø How to design an individualized learning programme based on the profile created in the evaluation of the child.
Ø How to select and modify various types of therapeutic approaches and communication systems that are effective for eliciting learning: Behavioral modification approaches; Floortime Therapy; Sensory Integration; Social Stories; Picture Exchange Communication System; and etc.
Ø How to select and utilize a variety of media and aids for eliciting academic learning that caters to the child’s unique learning styles: opportunities for hands-on learning; visual organizers; use of computers; sensory objects; and Fischertechnik building toys.
Ø How to design an appropriate learning environment for your child: Apart from the physical design and the atmosphere for learning, the parent also has to take into consideration how the learning should be done – the schedule; the inclusion of sensory breaks; the options for children to do their work in different ways.
Ø Samples of work created for Sebastien will be used as an example of how the academic learning programme is created: The idea is for parents to understand the rationale of the programme, not to replicate it blindly. Rather, parents need to understand why they have selected the task.

Week 3: Social Component of Learning Programme
Ø How to elicit eye contact from child.
Ø How to help child learn the social scripts for daily functioning: greetings; basic courtesies; and etc.
Ø How to address anti-social behaviours such as non-compliance, transition difficulties and aggression.
Ø How to engage in spontaneous interactions with your child – story time and play time.
Ø How to use embedded teaching to maximise your child’s use of social skills at all times.

Week 4: Sensory Component of Learning Programme
Ø Help parents to understand the significance of the sensory difficulties experienced by your child;
Ø Affordable strategies for dealing with your child – using daily items and yourself (yes, you are the best sensory tool for your child).
Ø Examples of items and live demonstrations of strategies.

* In my opinion, this is the 2nd highly recommended session to attend.

Week 5: Living Skills Component of Learning Programme
Ø How to teach your child self-care skills necessary for daily life.
Ø How to help your child participate in mainstream activities in public settings.
Ø How to help your child develop the skills necessary for functioning in mainstream society such as recognizing the value of money and using the MRT.

Week 6: Exercises Component of Learning Programme
Ø How to utilize exercises to elicit the best performance in your child
Ø Live demonstrations of exercises such as breathing exercises and yoga will be provided.
* Because this component is going to be underrated by all of you, I would like to let you know that your child will learn best when he or she is physically and sensorily stimulated. This is where the exercises come in. To me, you cannot compartmentalise a person into separate aspects: physical, mental and spiritual. It is particularly the case with an autistic child. Something that affects one area will also influence the other.

Week 7: Healing and Stress Reduction Strategies for Parents
Ø To learn about the importance of your own healing and stress reduction in your child’s learning experience.
Ø To acquire basic breathing and meditation strategies.
Ø Live demonstrations and practices will be used.

* Once again, I feel that this area will be under-rated by all you parents because it does not deal with your child directly. To me, this session is another must-do session because your child will function at his or her best when you are functioning at your best – there is no question about it. In order to be successful in delivering an individualized programme, you must be in good shape – physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually. Raising an autistic child is like running a marathon and you have to have the stamina to keep going day after day. This session will teach you how to replenish your energies and recharge your batteries for you to survive your challenges on a day-to-day basis.

Week 8: Creation of the Individualized Education Programme
Ø How to create an individualized education programme based on the profile of your child.
Ø Small-group discussions and individualized assistance will be provided to help parents create their individualized education programme.

* This is the promise of the training course that parents will leave with a ready-made individualized education programme that can be used immediately.

Week 9: Honing the Individualized Education Programme
Ø After one week of trying out the programme, parents have the opportunity to use this session to identify any problems or strengths in their programme.
Ø Small-group discussions and individualized assistance will be provided: This is the session to help individual parents to fine-tune your programme.

Week 10: Bring Your Children Day: Application of Behavioural and Sensory Strategies
Ø This will undoubtedly be a highly challenging session because we are introducing our children.
Ø Its purpose is to allow parents to apply some of the educational approaches and sensory strategies discussed in this programme.
Ø A nurturing and fun setting will be provided for the children.

* As stated above, this will be a tough session. Parents who believe that their children will be able to function in a new group setting are encouraged to bring their children. Otherwise, it is up to you to decide to skip this session. The objective of this session is to allow me and other parents to see whether your application of the approaches and strategies is appropriate for your children.

In order to assist us in our preparations and implementation of the courses, please e-mail me at kchoo7@gmail.com to let me know which of the three days work for you. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. Please include in the e-mail the age and the functioning level of your child. We will try to group parents based these criteria.