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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Kwok-che and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (March 18):
Question:
Regarding people with autism, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the current number and age distribution of people with autism, and the morbidity rate of autism among new born babies;
(b) whether there is any existing mechanism for early identification of toddlers with autism; if so, of the details; if not, whether it will set up such a mechanism;
(c) of the details of the existing services specifically provided for people with autism by government departments and non-governmental organisations, and whether improvements will be made to such services; and
(d) as the United Nations designated last year the 2nd of April of every year as the "World Autism Awareness Day", whether the Government will organise related activities on that day, so as to enhance public awareness of autism?
Reply:
President,
(a) According to the "Special Topics Report No. 48 - Persons with disabilities and chronic diseases" published by the Census and Statistics Department in 2008, it is estimated that there are about 3,800 persons with autism in Hong Kong and their age distribution is as follows:
Age group Number of autistic persons
Below 15 2,500
15-29 900
30 or above 300
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Total 3,800
As autism will not be diagnosed among new born babies, figures on the incidence rate of autism will not normally be compiled for this age group.
(b) To allow early identification of varied health and social needs of children aged 0 to 5, and to provide them and their families with necessary services, the Administration has launched the Comprehensive Child Development Service (CCDS) in July 2005. Under the CCDS, which is coordinated by the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB), children and parents in need will be provided with comprehensive support services through enhanced coordination and collaboration among the Education Bureau (EDB), the Department of Health (DH), the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and the Hospital Authority (HA).
A "Development and Behaviour Management of Pre-primary Children - A Resource Kit for Teachers" has been prepared by the DH, the EDB and the SWD, and is distributed to all pre-primary institutions with a view to giving them a better understanding on children development and enabling them to identify common childhood developmental problems. Currently, upon identifying children who might require assistance, the pre-primary institutions will refer them to the Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) for further assessment under the referral and feedback system of the CCDS. The MCHCs will conduct initial assessment and arrange children with possible developmental disorders (including autism) to receive timely intervention services from the appropriate service providers such as the Child Assessment Centres (CACs) of the DH, specialist services of the HA, non-government organisations (NGOs), schools etc. The assessment teams of the CACs of the DH will provide comprehensive assessment for these children on various aspects including their physical ability, intellectual ability, language ability, perception, social skills, etc. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service of the HA also provides assessment and diagnostic services for children and adolescent with possible developmental disorder.
In addition, the MCHCs have established a Developmental Surveillance Scheme for children from birth to the age of five. The Scheme offers parents a wide range of information, giving them a better understanding of children's development at various stages and circumstances requiring their special attention, thus enabling them to monitor the development of their children and identify possible developmental disorders (including autism) in collaboration with the medical staff more effectively. Besides, interviews with the parents will be arranged by the MCHCs at specific ages of the children for monitoring their development in various areas, such as their gross and fine motor, language and communication, social behaviour and play, self-care, vision and hearing, etc.
(c) Upon identifying cases of autism, the CACs of the DH will recommend and arrange suitable rehabilitation services for the children concerned, and introduce to parents of these children community rehabilitation schemes and training courses. The CACs will also invite parents to participate in counselling services, talks and workshops.
The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service of the HA will, according to the conditions of the children and adolescent with autism, provide them with appropriate treatment, such as arranging them to receive psychiatric out-patient services or day-hospital care services.
Besides, taking reference from specialists' assessment and recommendation, and subject to parents' consent, the EDB will arrange children with special educational needs (including autistic students) to be placed in ordinary or special schools and provide the schools with extra resources and subsidy for supporting these children. If necessary, relevant professional workers of the EDB, including educational psychologists and special education support officers, will render professional assistance to the schools concerned. They would work with the teachers and parents concerned on the appropriate support strategies and review the progress of students regularly and comprehensively. To further enhance teachers' professional capacity in supporting students with special educational needs, the EDB has formulated a five-year teacher professional development framework in 2007-2008 school year, providing training courses for teachers of ordinary and special schools. The EDB has also produced various teaching and learning materials for use by teachers, school guidance personnel and parents, with the aim of helping them provide teaching and guidance to students with autism.
In addition, SWD provides a series of rehabilitation services through NGOs to persons with autism to meet their needs at different stages of their lives. These rehabilitation services, including pre-school training services, vocational rehabilitation services, residential services and community support services, help persons with autism develop their physical and intellectual capabilities for integration into society. For example, the pre-school training services of SWD will help children with autism up to the age of six develop their physical and psychological abilities, and to enhance their social skills. Persons with autism aged 15 or above could apply for suitable vocational rehabilitation services, and participate in the activities and personal development programmes offered by the 16 District Support Centres for Persons with Disabilities located throughout the territory, as well as obtaining various kinds of care and support services catering to their needs. These District Support Centres also provide support for parents to help them relieve their stress in taking care of family members with autism.
As for employment support, the Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department (LD) provides personalised employment services for persons with autism, with a view to helping to place them in open employment thus facilitating their integration into the community. Depending on the ability, character and interest of job seekers with autism, placement officers of the Selective Placement Division will provide them with suitable employment counselling, job matching and referral, and post-employment follow-up services. Furthermore, the Skills Centres of the Vocational Training Council also provide persons with autism with vocational training and support services, including vocational counselling, social work service, occupational therapy and care services, etc.
(d) EDB has been enhancing public understanding of autism through various means. EDB has joined hands with the Castle Peak Hospital, NGOs and parents associations to organise the "Hong Kong Autism Awareness Week", aiming to promote public understanding and acceptance of autistic persons. To tie in with the "World Autism Awareness Day" on April 2, this year, the EDB has planned a series of promotion activities, including the publication of a teaching package in February this year on "Mind-read II: Teaching Children with Autism to Understand and Manage Emotions" for use by primary school teachers and parents. The EDB is also going to organise in April a sharing session on the pilot project of "ILAUGH Social Thinking Training Programme" in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Caritas Rehabilitation Services, and a seminar on "Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder/Asperger Syndrome Integrating into Local Ordinary Primary Schools" in collaboration with the Spastics Association of Hong Kong.
As regards promoting the integration of persons with disabilities into society, the LWB subsidises various government departments and NGOs in organising public education programmes every year, aiming to enhance public understanding and acceptance of persons with disabilities, including autistic persons. The Selective Placement Division of LD also organises public education and publicity activities to promote public understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities, with a view to enhancing their employment opportunities.
In addition, the Child Assessment Service of the DH has been organising different publicity activities for enhancing public knowledge and understanding on various major developmental disorders (including autism). Apart from producing public education pamphlets and fact sheets on different developmental disorders, the DH also endeavours to promote public awareness of these problems through the website (www.dhcas.gov.hk), television programmes, thematic exhibitions, etc.
Ends/Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:36
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