APF Gathers Top Autism Experts at Conference

Hong Kong, Nov. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The inaugural Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Conference, organized by Autism Partnership Foundation (APF), came to a close today with an oversubscribed attendance. More than 300 participants comprising clinicians, healthcare professionals, educators, scholars and families joined the conference. Themed "A Multidimensional View of Autism Support Services", this flagship conference of APF gathered renowned international experts recognized as pioneers in autism treatment as well as ground-breaking local specialist who are keen to share their insights and experience with the industry peers.

By providing a snapshot of the autism-related research studies, treatment methods and education policy, the ASD conference aimed to bring attention and raise awareness of ASD for people who care about the ASD community. The conference was kick-started by the welcoming speech of Mr. Toby Mountjoy, Co-founder and Chairman of APF, followed by the key-note presentations and panel discussions. Co-founder and Director of APF, Dr. Ronald Leaf, delivered his keynote speeches about "ASD, Past, Present and Future" in the morning and "Maximizing the Opportunities in Treatment of Autism - ASD Treatment Models, ABA" in the afternoon. 

"We are so pleased to see the good collaboration spirit transpiring the various panels and interactive sessions as well as the quality of the presentation and the breadth of topics covered. The topic of this conference - A Multidimensional View of Autism Support Services - reflects our dedication to supporting and helping individuals with autism so that they can achieve the greatest degree of independence and highest quality of life," says Mr. Mountjoy.

Other prominent key-note speakers delivered speeches in various themes to address issues in relation to ASD and Special Education Needs (SEN) such as:

• Embrace Diversity, Respect Rights and Promote Equality
• Hong Kong inclusive education for autism: strategy for quality education and new direction for training teachers
• Call for SEN Legislation: Impact on ASD individuals and related stakeholders
• Breaking Myths about ASD from Medical Perspective: How is ASD Formed and Treated
• Effective ABA Teaching in a School Setting
• Identify ASD: Every non-professional worker should know
• My family (sharing of an ASD young adult with his siblings on how he, together with his family, live with ASD)

Dr. Hon. Cheung Chiu Hong Fernando, LEGCO member of HKSAR, one of the keynote speakers, remarks: "At present, there is no legislation in Hong Kong that specially addresses the needs of students with SEN and cross-sector collaboration among different stakeholders is lacking, leading to slim opportunities for students with SEN to secure a place in university, unlike Taiwan. Thus, I think legislation of the Special Education Law to improve the quality of education and resources for students with SEN in Hong Kong is needed. And, today, I'm happy to see Autism Partnership Foundation organizing this ASD Conference and bringing in so many important stakeholders in the field to share their views on how we can support the ASD community better."

The one-day conference was divided into three sessions. At the end of each session, a plenary session among the key-note speakers was organized to share more in-depth insights in relation to the theme of the session. The conference was concluded with a great success.

Mr. Mountjoy added, "As part of our initiatives to support the ASD community, we are launching four new complimentary services in 2016, which are: Intensive ABA Month for Children, Parent Workshop, Early Identification Training for Schools and Marriage and Family Therapy. We are also grateful to receive sponsorship from UBS and Friends of Asia (FOA) to support two of these services. Through these services, we hope to help alleviate the challenge and stress faced by the individuals with autism and their families."

About Autism Partnership Foundation (APF):

Autism Partnership Foundation (APF), a registered charity body (qualified for the exemption from tax section 88 of the Inland Revenue) in Hong Kong, is committed to making a difference in the life of individuals with autism. Through various fundraising initiatives, APF aims to raise funds to generate public awareness and knowledge about autism. We will also advocate ABA treatment and intervention through community programs of education and research and provide support and help for children with ASD and their families in Asia. Find out more about APF, please see: www.apf.org.hk or Facebook/APFHongKong