In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, AWWA Educational Services held its inaugural Forum on the 4th September 2009 entitled “Small Steps Make A Big Difference”, organized by the Psychology Department.

The Forum was supported by faculty from Flinders University in Australia, namely Associate Professor Robyn Young and Ms Kerry Bissaker, along with Ms Dariell Rice from St Ann’s Special School in South Australia.   Other featured speakers included Heads of Departments of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy and Social Work, as well as the School Psychologist and School Teachers. The forum was attended by AWWA staff, professionals from external agencies and parents of children with special needs. It was a fruitful day for the 135 participants as the speakers freely shared their knowledge from their respective areas of specialisation.

 Associate Professor Robyn Young presented the keynote speech on “What’s New in the Field of Autism” and a workshop on “Early Intervention Strategies for Children with Autism”. Other topics presented included:  “Developmental Milestones”, “School Based Curriculum Design”, “Oro-motor Aversiveness and Speech Delay” and “Intensive Interaction”.  Photo shows Ms Kerry Bissaker presenting on “Educators as Change Agents – What Makes a Difference?” The participants all felt that the knowledge they had gained was useful and beneficial in their work with their clients or children. Some participants even indicated that they hoped that our guest speakers could be invited back to share on their topics in greater detail.  There is a well-known saying: “An investment in knowledge always pays excellent interest.”  It was a day well-spent and it is now with us to put the knowledge gained from the AWWA Forum to good use!
Written by Chin Hsiao Yun, Psychologist