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Parenting is not an easy task at the best of times, and becomes an added challenge for parents of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children, given their special educational and psychological needs. As a means of strengthening the support for ASD families, JC A-Connect: Jockey Club Autism Support Network (JC A-Connect), a project funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, organised the Positive Parenting Seminar today (16 December), providing a platform for sharing parenting advice.

Guests at the seminar included the Club’s Executive Manager, Charities, Imelda Chan, and Assistant Director (Rehabilitation and Medical Social Services) of Social Welfare Department Fong Kai-leung.

Experienced educators and registered social workers gave delegates pointers on how to communicate better with ASD children, while a number of parents shared their experiences at the event. Through the seminar, participants not only learnt about strategies to take care of the emotional needs of ASD children, but were also able to develop mutual supporting networks to ease their stress.

JC A-Connect, supported by a HK$167 million donation from the Club’s Charities Trust, is a three-year initiative aimed at enhancing support for children with ASD, their families and their schools in the light of an increasing number of such students in Hong Kong’s mainstream primary and secondary schools. The Trust is collaborating in the programme with the Faculty of Social Sciences of The University of Hong Kong, the Education Bureau, and six non-governmental organisations.

The first programme of its kind in the city, JC A-Connect provides holistic support for ASD children attending mainstream schools and their parents. To date it has provided school-based support in over 300 primary and secondary schools, as well as assisting parents and families through 18 community centres.  In addition it is organising public education programmes to raise public awareness and understanding about ASD.  Further details of the project can be found at http://www.jca-connect.hk.