Thinking kit helps autistic pupils make connections
Chinese University's new training system brings local slant to international method
Pupils suffering from disorders which make it hard for them to communicate with others will get a helping hand next month.
A resource kit developed by Chinese University to enhance the critical thinking and communication skills of pupils suffering from autism spectrum disorders (ASD) will be freely distributed to the city's mainstream secondary schools in mid-September, the university said.
Researchers said the "Social Thinking Training" kit aimed to prompt students to "think about" their daily social activities and the reasons behind verbal and non-verbal social interaction.
Chinese University speech therapist professor Kathy Lee Yuet-sheung said that for many autistic children, social behaviour was not learned by reminders and discipline from elders, but rather from their own independent and unique way of thinking.
The kit, devised by American speech-language pathologist Michele Garcia Winner, aims to reach out to pupils suffering from ASD, including Asperger's syndrome. Chinese University translated the programme and localised certain vocabulary and activities to adapt to Cantonese ways of life, Lee said.
The kit includes cue cards with a pool of concise phrases called "social thinking critical vocabularies". It uses language such as "think with your eyes" or "whole body listening" in order to make terms - such as "pay attention!" or "listen!" - that seem normal to others, less abstract.
