19^th and 20^th November 2008  ( Wednesday & Thursday )
9.00 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.
Function Rooms II and III, Level III, The Pacific Sutera Hotel
Speaker: Ms Amanda Reed, Australia

The Picture Exchange Communication System ( PECS ) is a language training package that is used to rapidly teach communication skills to those with limited functional speech.  PECS promotes communication within a social context, without lengthy prerequisite training.  Training in PECS begins by teaching a spontaneous request, and goes on to teach additional communicative functions such as responding to questions and commenting.  An added attraction for preschool children with autism and related disabilities is the high proportion of children who acquire independent speech.  Participants will learn how to implement the six phases of PECS, including attributes, through presenter demonstrations, video examples and role-play opportunities.  Participants will leave the workshop with an understanding of how to implement PECS with individuals with a range of complex communication needs.

20^th November 2008  ( Thursday )
8.30 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.
Hibiscus Room, Level I, The Pacific Sutera Hotel
Speaker: Ms Jeanette Suen, Singapore

Sensory Integration plays a fundamental role in development, learning and behaviour.  For children with special needs, such as those with cerebral palsy, developmental delay, autism, attention deficit, hyperactivity, learning difficulty, etc., their sensory integration process is also affected.  This 1-day workshop is designed for parents of young children with special needs.  The concepts of Sensory Integration will be introduced and simple strategies that parents can use to enhance sensory integration in daily activities will be discussed.

Objectives 

Participants will be able to:
1.       Relate sensory integration to development, learning and behaviour;
2.       Identify individuals with issues in sensory integration; and
3.       Apply simple strategies that enhance sensory integration