[News]Outcry over lack of services for the autistic
<P><STRONG>Outcry over lack of services for the autistic</STRONG> </P><P><FONT color=#767676>(STANDARD)</FONT> 20/<FONT color=#767676>08 Monday 05:30AM</FONT> </P>
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<P>Day after day, Alex sits at home crying and screaming as if he could tear down the lonely walls around him and tell the world he is not disabled.</P></DIV>
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<P>"There're a lot of opportunities out there, but almost nothing for my son," said his 48-year-old mother who wants specialized services for her autistic son.</P></DIV>
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<P>Stephen Shore, 46, who has overcome his autism, said autistic people can make contributions to society when given the right attention.</P></DIV>
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<P>"They're not mentally impaired, some are actually very intelligent but lack the social skills," said Shore, who was in Hong Kong to share his experience and expertise on overcoming autism.</P></DIV>
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<P>"But they easily get labeled and bullied when placed with others. With special attention, their condition can actually improve. They can become more independent and integrate back to society."</P></DIV>
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<P>The lack of tailor-made service for autistic people is not the only problem. Worse is the service gap when they come out of their nine-year basic education at special schools.</P></DIV>
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<P>Mrs Lam's 17-year-old son has been idling at home, waiting for a placement at either the shelter workshop, day training center or the Vocational Training Centre. "I don't want my son to go to a shelter workshop, all we can do is wait for the next placement," she said.</P></DIV>
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<P>But the wait can be up to two years for a placement, and eight years for a dormitory space, according to Joseph Au Wai-man, an outreach social worker. "What do they do in the meantime? They sit at home or wander the streets, we have to look for them on the streets, but we have no way to find out how many there are exactly."</P></DIV>
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<P>Au urged the government to provide more support facilities, such as a community center for the autistic, for easier outreach. "The government should recognize the problem," Au said.</P></DIV>
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<P>However, the Social Welfare Department does not have the statistics - how many autistic people are there and where they are - let alone providing specialized service.</P></DIV>
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<P>A general household survey from 2000 reveals some 269,000 "disabled" people in Hong Kong - grouping those with autism with those with disabilities that restrict body movement, impaired vision, speech and hearing, and mental illness.</P></DIV>
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<P>So far, the Fu Hong Society center at Aberdeen offers the city's only specialized service for autistic people older than 16.</P></DIV>
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<P>The privately funded center, which has been in operation since last August, offers four-month-long, tailor-made courses, aimed at filling the gap for those coming out of their basic education in special schools.</P></DIV>
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<P>"It gives more focus on developing social skills; individualized, structured and routine services," said Aldous Kwan Chi-sang, regional manager of Fu Hong Society.</P></DIV>
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<P>Welfare sector lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu- hung said the autistic requires a lifelong solution.</P></DIV>
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<P>"Each of them must be provided with a case manager to follow their whole lives. They need an individual education plan catered to their needs."</P></DIV>
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<P>With the policy on integrated education, the government is passing the burden onto the normal schools to admit special-needs students and teachers to receive more training, he said. "The government should stop turning a blind eye to the autistic."</P>
<P>Refer to <A href="http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070819/318/2dw0i.html">http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070819/318/2dw0i.html</A></P></DIV></DIV>
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