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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex brain development disorders characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, as well as a restricted and repetitive set of interests and activities (refer to Appendix D and E). Under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV), published in 1978, patients could be diagnosed under 4 separate disorders: autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not-otherwise-specified (Hiller, 2013). In the latest DSM-5 published in 2013, the separate disorders are now collapsed into one diagnosis – ASD, recognizing the fact that it is difficult to categorize patients into subtypes, and it is more accurate to acknowledge that the disorder lies on a wide spectrum, from the lower-functioning to the higher-functioning abilities. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated for every 160 children, about 1 child is diagnosed with ASD, worldwide (refer to Appendix D). There are no national statistics for autism in Singapore, although one article reported that there are about 30,000 people with autism (refer to Appendix C1).

Children with autism are generally well-taken care of by the state and community organizations. Earlier in June, Thye Hua Kuan Moral Charities (THK) opened a new children’s therapy centre in Macpherson (refer to Appendix H). This centre aims to cater to more than 120 children with special needs, such as ASD and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), in Singapore’s eastern region by April next year. Services such as speech and occupation therapy are provided to the children. This is a good initiative by THK, as the centre serves to expand the current capabilities to care for children with special needs. In addition, the centre is located in the heartlands, so that families can easily send their children to the centre before going to work, and pick them up after work. Early intervention for children with special needs is important, as these children are in better position to learn how to socialize with people, and to better manage their behaviours and feelings (Autism Speaks, n.d.).

In terms of education for the young, there are 20 special education (SPED) schools run by voluntary welfare organizations (VWO), as at January 2010 (List of special, 2015). 16 out of these 20 schools cater to children with autism. Earlier this June, it was reported that students in SPED schools will have greater guidance in sexuality education and relationships (Appendix G). This has been a gap that has not been fulfilled properly even in mainstream schools, and it is a bit late, in my opinion, to only introduce this now in SPED schools. Students with special needs require sexual education as much as any other normal-functioning person, as they do face the challenges of growing up, experiencing puberty as a normal development, and gaining interest in the opposite sex. Moreover, it is important for students with special needs to learn how to take care and protect themselves as there have been cases where people with special needs were taken advantage of. In addition, as people with autism lack social awareness, sexuality education is required to teach them what are appropriate behaviours in public, and what are behaviours that should only be done in private.

Another aspect of life, other than education, is the recreational activities that people can engage in. For people with autism, there is a lack of enrichment activities for them to take part. The Purple Symphony, Singapore’s first inclusive orchestra, is one avenue for which people with autism can develop and exhibit their musical talents (refer to Appendix K). 67 of its 83 orchestra members have special needs that ranged from autism to intellectual disabilities, as well as visual or hearing impairment. This debut by the Purple Orchestra celebrates what people with disabilities can do, and it empowers the people with autism by providing them the opportunity to take part in the arts scene in Singapore. It is heartening that there are other groups in Singapore that encourages social inclusion through sports and the arts, such as the social enterprises Society Staples and the Cajon Society (the social arm of BEAT’ABOX). Society Staples organizes teambuilding activities such as dragon-boating, and encourages people with disabilities to take part in these activities; Cajon Society aspires to help discover the untapped gifts in beats and rhythms in people with multiple disabilities, increasing their interaction with mainstream society through public performances.

There is still a lack of public awareness on autism in Singapore, and many agencies are working together to help promote not only about autism, but also the services available surrounding autism. One notable initiative is the Autism Network Singapore (ANS), formed by 4 non-profit autism service providers in Singapore earlier this April. The organizations include Autism Association (Singapore) (AAS), Autism Resource Centre (ARC), Rainbow Centre (RC), and St. Andrew’s Autism Centre (SAAC). The ANS was formed to address the challenges faced by people living with autism and their families (refer to Appendix C1 and C2), especially the lack of employment and lifelong learning opportunities for adults with autism. Ms Denise Phua, president of ARC, said that while the support systems and programmes for children and youth with autism have improved greatly over the past decade, more could be done to help the adults with moderate to severe autism (refer to Appendix E). In this aspect, it takes both the government as well as the people to work together to help bring about a more inclusive society, not only for people with autism, but for people with special needs in general.

A good example of how corporates can play a part is shown in Appendix F; the United Overseas Bank (UOB) had modified its office environment in its Scan Hub, to provide more employment opportunities for people with autism. About one-third of the Scan Hub’s 53 employees are people with autism, and their main job were to scan, classify, and archive credit card application forms. Ms Susan Hwee, head of group technology and operations at the UOB Group, explained that people with autism have the abilities that match the qualities needed for the job in the Scan Hub – a sharp eye for detail and a methodical approach to work. By playing on the strengths of people with autism, the Scan Hub experienced a decreasing staff turnover rate, and higher productivity.

Another example of how people with autism can contribute productively is the autism-friendly cafe based in Manila (refer to Appendix D). Although this is not local news, I still want to mention this as it gives a very good example for which local cafes could adopt. The cafe allows the employees with autism to develop their social interaction skills as they are assimilated into the wider community by actively participating in society – going to school, to home, to therapy, and to work. The cafe’s operations are built around the abilities of the employees with autism by having index cards laid out with pictures to show the steps needed to be taken next, and a script for greeting customers, offering them the menu, serving food, and handing out the bill. Both examples, UOB and the autism cafe in Manila, illustrates how people with autism can contribute actively and productively, if we were able to help change the environment to suit the people. In social work terms, this could be viewed as the person-in-environment approach; by changing the environment in which the people with autism is working in, they are able to function and contribute to society.

In terms of the law, a new scheme was introduced in March to help persons with developmental disabilities during police investigations (refer to Appendix B). This scheme, called the Appropriate Adults will, helps to address the concern that people with special needs may incriminate themselves due to a lack of communication skills, when interrogated by the police. This scheme has been used 41 times in the first six months of this year, and there were 136 support volunteers who were recruited and managed by the Law society (refer to Appendix J). Volunteers play an important role to help persons with developmental disabilities to understand the situation of being called in by the police and to understand what the police is asking. In my opinion, this is a good initiative as interrogation by police may be a stressful event for people, and even so for people with autism. By having a volunteer around to help calm the nerves of the person with autism during such situations, the police may be able to gather more accurate information from the person with autism. This scheme also benefits the society by creating opportunities for people to volunteer for a cause, building the empathy that our society has for people with autism. Lastly, as mentioned by Law Society president, Thio Shen Yi, in the larger macro perspective, the Appropriate Adults scheme shows a shift towards a more impartial and fair criminal justice system for persons with developmental disabilities in Singapore.

There are several upcoming initiatives that would help adults with autism. Earlier in March, it was announced that a new day activity centre for adults with autism will be set up in Clementi later this year, and an existing one in Ubi will be expanded (refer to Appendix A). About 140 places will be added to the current capacity, bringing it to almost 1200. A residential home will also be built in Sengkang for adults in autism, by 2018. St. Andrew’s Autism Centre has been appointed by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to co-develop and operate this residential facility for adults with autism, a first in Singapore (refer to Appendix L). These initiatives show the commitment that the government has in creating a better environment for adults with autism to live in, and could help to address the question which older parents have for their children with autism – who will take care of them when they pass on?

It is appropriate to discuss the topic of autism in the month of October, as we will be celebrating The Purple Parade at the end of the month in Hong Lim Park (refer to Appendix M). The Purple Parade is a day of carnival and fun, aimed to support social inclusion and celebrate abilities. It first began in 2013, and saw an attendance of 3000 people. The Purple Symphony will be making its second public performance during The Purple Parade. I think such a movement is necessary and important in Singapore, as it makes people with special needs more visible to the public, and this visibility helps to raise the awareness that there are people in our society who are socially excluded because of their disabilities. By increasing visibility, more people will talk about the special needs community in Singapore. Advocacy efforts can help to change the perspectives that the general public hold about people with special needs, and by directing the public purposefully to the various social organizations that promote social inclusion, such as Society Staples and The Cajon Society mentioned above, people build a sense of empathy towards the people with special needs.

Singapore has achieved economic progress in its past 50 years of independence and have grown from a third to a first world country. This, however, is measured in terms of its economic progress, and now that we are mostly rich and wealthy, Singaporeans are gradually having the social conscience to care for the vulnerable and the socially-excluded. People with special needs, or, in particular, people with autism, are one of the marginalized groups in Singapore. They are “marginalized” because they do not gain equal access to the services which mainstream society do, such as access to employment, legal services, recreational activities, and so on. Much have been done for the autistic community, and a lot more can be done. In comparison to what the European Union (EU) has for the autistic community, Singapore is considered to be in its infancy stages. Autism Europe (2015) advocates for the rights of people with autism, and they look into the various needs of the autistic community which are not fulfilled in society. Autism Europe holds conferences, does publications, and look into creating a better life for people with autism, beyond merely the economic aspects.

Tim Oei, Chief Executive Officer of Asian Women's Welfare Association (AWWA), wrote in the forum that “Special education shouldn't focus on just economic independence” (refer to Appendix N). Based on the above points I have shared in this paper, I think that the government has a lot more than just economic independence in mind for the people with special needs. There are new therapy centres dedicated to children with special needs; a more holistic education by including sexuality education; considerations for the legal rights of people with special needs; and also new day-activity centres for adults with autism (refer to Appendix A, B, G, H, J, and L). The focus on economic independence may be most prominent, but I disagree that they are just focusing on that. As the children with autism of today grow up to be adults in the future, I foresee a Singapore where there are a lot more opportunities for them to lead a good life – accepted by society, having recreational activities they can participate in, and also sufficient job opportunities. It takes the many helping hands approach to make this happen, and we are taking the baby steps towards it.

References

Autism Speaks – Early Intervention. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2015, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/tool-kits/100-day-kit/early-intervention

Autism Europe - Social Inclusion. (2015). Retrieved October 28, 2015, from http://www.autismeurope.org/main-fields-of-action/social-inclusion/

BEAT’ABOX Group – Our Company. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2015, from http://beatabox.com.sg/about-us

Hiller, A. (2013). Autism spectrum disorder fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Autism%20Spectrum%20Disorder%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

List of special education schools. (2015). Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/special-education/schoollist/

Society Staples. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2015, from https://www.facebook.com/SocietyStaples/timeline

Appendices

A: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/more-places-day-activity-centres-adults-autism-disabilities

B: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/new-scheme-to-help-persons-with-developmental-disabilities-during-police

C1: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/four-non-profit-autism/1770524.html

C2: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/new-masterplan-for-people-with-autism-to-be-developed-by-2016

D: http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/manilas-autism-friendly-cafe-its-ok-be-different?singlepage=true

E: http://women.asiaone.com/women/parenting/caring-autistic-adults

F: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/united-overseas-bank-modifies-office-environment-to-give-autistic-employees-more

G: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/sexuality-education-guide-for-sped-schools

H: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/thk-opens-new-children-s/1938110.html

J: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parliament-new-police-scheme-to-help-vulnerable-suspects-sees-41-cases-in-six-months

K: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/inclusive-orchestra-makes-its-debut

L: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapores-first-residential-facility-autistic-adults-works

M: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/mrt-train-to-go-purple-for-a-special-cause