Speaker: Dr Kathy Shum, University of Hong Kong

Title: From Identification to Intervention: Early Support for Preschoolers with ASD

Host: Matthew Mak

Abstract:

Unlike severe cases of ASD that can be diagnosed early on, mild cases often remain undetected until coping difficulties become apparent in formal school settings. In this presentation, I will share my experience and findings from two lines of projects. Firstly, I will discuss the development and validation of a 13-item Classroom Observation Scale designed for teachers and healthcare workers with minimal clinical training. This scale aims to identify children below the age of 4½ who are at risk of ASD, based on the observation of naturalistic peer interactions in preschools. Secondly, I will delve into a project exploring the potential benefits of dialogic reading for both preschoolers with and without ASD. Our team created a set of children’s storybooks featuring visual prompts and guided questions to facilitate adult-child dialogic reading, and provided coaching to parents to encourage the adoption of this approach.