ATOMYMAXSITE 2.5 Power by chudsagorn phikulthong

Transcription

1 ประเภท : ข าวประชาส มพ นธ ห วข อข าว : ข าวออท สต กไทยในหน งส อพ มพ Bangkok Post โดย : admin ลงว นท : เสาร ท 6 เด อน เมษายน พ.ศ.2556 เข าชม : 6355 Freedom of speech Groundbreaking application helps autistic children develop essential life skills Published: 3 Apr 2013 at Newspaper section: Life Krit, 13, has been diagnosed with low functioning autism. He has very limited language skills with no awareness of other people. The doctor said he will not develop further. page 1 / 5

2 By the third day of toying with the app, Krit was able to articulate Mae-ja. Kijjaporn Chuenboon, Krit's mother, tried the True Autistic application for the first time after a recommendation from Prie Wungcharoen, the mobile app developer. Initially, she let her son play with the app for 10 minutes a day after class. The boy started to become interested in the pictures and sounds produced by the app. By the third day of toying with the app, Krit was able to articulate Mae-ja (Mama). "This is exactly what I have been waiting for the last 13 years," said Kijjaporn. The app helps autistic children to learn through repeated listening. When the child clicks on the word, the app then says that word. The app also lets users alter the speed of the voice. Previously, Krit could not utter a word even though his mother spoke to him all the time. But by the third day of interacting with the tablet, he could communicate with others or say what he wanted by clicking on the tablet and repeating what he heard. Today, Krit can add to his vocabulary by taking photos by himself. In the past, he never made eye contact with his mother, nor did he show any interest in what she was doing, but today he observes and copies what she does. "I'm so happy with this app and I would like other parents to try using it as they will see that the voice that they have been waiting for can really be audible," said Kijjaporn, adding that parents should let children use the app continuously and have it on every day. According to Choosak Chantayanonda, president of the Autism Foundation of Thailand, there are some 370,000 autistic children in Thailand. The True Autistic application, which has been tested by children, has proven that it can boost the communication skills of autistic children. page 2 / 5

3 Trace & Share improves children s tracing skills through compelling fantasy stories that are both creative and attention grabbing. Prie, senior product executive of IT Development of True Group, spent almost half a year talking to parents and teachers, learning about the lives of autistic children and the ways their parents supported them. "We cannot understand these children through conversation. Unlike other children, autistics have problems with socialising, communication and daily life skills. While other children can learn social interaction, fine motor skills, communication and self-assistant skills by themselves, autistics cannot do those things," he said. True Autistic features three parts: Daily Tasks, Trace & Share, and Communications. Each focuses on improving different aspects of skills in autistic children. Three activities that will keep autistic children engaged include teeth brushing, showering and shampooing. The app has been designed to improve autistic children's fine motor skills as well as increase their concentration span which is essential to learning. The app aims to improve hand-eye coordination and focus through simple daily task stories that are both engaging and interactive. Children will have to go through different scenarios and complete each presented task. "It is important for parents to be with their children when they use the app, and they have to keep talking to them to gauge their reactions," said Kijjaporn, noting that the app has made her son grin in spite of the fact that autistic children usually have only one facial expression. Communications is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app that assists autistic people with speaking difficulties as well as improving their vocabulary. The app has remodelled the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), a universal methodology of teaching speech and communication to autistic people, and designed to build up a child's communication from foundation. Trace & Share was designed to further enhance autistic children's fine motor and social skills. The goal of this application is to improve tracing skills through compelling fantasy stories that are both creative and attention grabbing. Children will have to trace through various lines with increasing difficulty. Part of this application will also teach children to take turns and share, which is an important foundation of social skills. This app is not only limited to people with autism. Children with concentration problems, Down's syndrome and social problems can also benefit from this application. "By using the applications closely with parents and teachers, it is expected that autistic children will develop essential skills that are important to living a normal life," Prie said. The applications are in Thai, but in the near future will be developed in English and Arabic as there have been plenty of requests from parents abroad. "Autistic children have more profound perspectives than we think. Children who don't speak should be taught to communicate via pictures and practice speaking," Kijjaporn said, noting that the app is flexible and can be adjusted depending on the child's condition. The True Autistic application can be downloaded free of charge, on both ios and Android platforms, with the keyword "True Autistic" or "Thai Autistic" at App Store or itunes, and True Thai Autistic at Google Play store. The program is a joint collaboration between True Corporation and the Autism Foundation of Thailand and the application will be officially launched as part events marking World Autism Awareness Day until April 4 at TK Palace. page 3 / 5

4 Caregivers battle autism obstacles A fuzzy interpretation of regulations is causing problems for the disabled Published: 6 Apr 2013 at Newspaper section: News Many children with autism are not getting the care and attention they need from the state and the obstacles have to do with bureaucratic and legal recognition of them as being disabled. Children with autism try autistic application computer software which helps them perform daily routines and improve their communication skills. THANARAK KHOONTON Thailand currently has about 370,000 autistic children, 55,000 of them living in Bangkok. The Social Development and Human Security Ministry decreed autism a disability in July last year. Parents are to register their autistic children with the ministry which issues them with a card identifying them as persons of disability, said Chusak Chanthayanon, chairman of the Autistic Thai Foundation. page 4 / 5

5 The card entitles the children to welfare and state services provided to the disabled in general. However, fewer than 4,000 autistic children have registered nationwide. No more than 500 of them hold the disabled ID cards in Bangkok. Mr Chusak said the disappointingly large number who do not have the cards can have only limited access to state welfare. The reason for so few parents seeking the cards is three-fold. First, the Social Development and Human Security Ministry defines autism broadly as either a disorder of the emotions or behaviour. The equivocal definition is open to interpretation, which gets in the way of proper state assistance being offered to the children. He said parents or caretakers often do not know the autistic children's rights and entitlements. Some parents see the definition of disability as stigmatising their children and are reluctant to register the children with the ministry. Mr Chusak said doctors who must confirm a child's condition before the ministry can issue them with a card do not pinpoint exactly what disabilities the children have. If the children register, they would be able to enter the state-financed early intervention programme which would be helpful in the children's neural and emotional rehabilitation in the long run, he said. Mr Chusak, who has a 28-year-old son with autism, said this compelled him to establish the foundation. His son, Vee, was diagnosed with autism when he was three. He was enrolled in a kindergarten school his family owned until he was four. He then attended a primary school and mingled with other children. When he was in third grade, Vee began to harm himself, prompting the family to take him out of normal class and home-school him. Mr Chusak said the family arranged for his son and other autistic children to be home-schooled together. The class, which follows a special curriculum, was taught by parents of the children. After the foundation came into inception, the curriculum was upgraded to that of vocational development accredited by the non-formal education office. The Autistic Thai Foundation is currently running 20 centres to increase autistic children's social skills. It has joined with True Corporation to develop computer software called "Autistic Application". Similar autism-assisted software, which is popular in many countries, trains children to perform daily routines and chores on their own and improve their basic communication and social interaction. Kitchaphon Chuenbun, who is the mother of a 13-year-old autistic son named Krit, said it was an uphill battle at times coping with the autistic condition of her son. She was thrown into the deep end and almost gave up helping her son to speak. But the application, which has stimulated Krit to speak even a few short words, has made life far easier for her and her son. "This application has given him a voice and lets him speak to his mother," Ms Kitchaphon said. "The first word that I heard him say was 'mum'," she said. Deputy Public Health Minister Cholanan Srikaew said the government has made sure all autistic children receive appropriate rehabilitation from an early age. If the condition is detected as early as two years of age in children, rehabilitation will be more effective, Dr Cholanan said. This year, the ministry aims to open clinics for autistic children and those with mental retardation in all 833 hospitals countrywide.. In Thailand, 40% of autistic children need special care because they have an intelligence quotient (IQ) of less than 50 and some of them are aggressive in their behaviour, Mental Health Department chief Wachira Phengchan said page 5 / 5