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Presentation Topic: OP1 - Impact of Music Therapy on communicative, socio-emotional and cognitive domains for Children requiring high support in THK EIC
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
It is globally established that music therapy is effective in enhancing the functioning, coping skills, and quality of life of children enrolled in early intervention programs (Gutierrez-Jiménez & Franco, 2018; Thompson et al., 2013). This oral presentation highlights the progress of children requiring high support who are receiving music therapy in various IEP domains.
In THK EIC services, each child typically participates in weekly 30-minute group music therapy sessions. Activities include playing musical instruments, moving to music with or without props (for example, scarves), and reading stories set to music.
Through a content analysis of progress notes of music therapy sessions conducted with children in high support classes over the course of a semester, this study highlights the impact of interventions in the following IEP domains:
● Communication: Improved verbal and non-verbal communication skills, including increased vocabulary, better articulation, and enhanced expressive language abilities.
● Socio-emotional Development: Enhanced social engagement, increased emotional regulation, improved interpersonal relationships, confidence and self-awareness, and decreased anxiety and behavioral challenges.
● Cognitive Development: Improved cognitive functioning, including better attention span, problem-solving abilities, and memory retention, thereby facilitating learning of cognitive concepts (e.g., colours, numeracy, world knowledge) and school readiness.
The observed progress across the aforementioned IEP domains underscores the value of incorporating music therapy into the holistic care and education of children at EIC. Case stories illustrating the above gains will be shared as part of this presentation.
Presentation Topic: OP2 - Supported Lying - Postural Management in Children with Limited Mobility
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
This oral presentation explores the implementation and impact of Supported Lying as part of 24-hour postural management for students at GMFCS Level IV or V with limited mobility. Recognising the consequences of prolonged unsupported lying on body asymmetry and well-being, a resource team was formed and the team conducted a pilot project involving 8 students. Through individualised Supported Lying plans, the initiative raised awareness of postural care and enhanced student comfort and engagement during school activities. The presentation highlights the crucial role of postural management in improving learning and participation for students with limited mobility, emphasising the need for sustained awareness and outlining future plans for intervention and enhanced training efforts.
Presentation Topic: OP3 - Implementation of the Engagement for Learning Framework (EFL) classroom tools for students with high levels of developmental support needs
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
About 30% of our annual student enrolment at Rainbow Centre comprises students with high levels of developmental support needs. These students demonstrate different engaged behaviours due to impairments in multiple developmental domains such as physical, sensory, communication and cognitive. As such, it is challenging at times to describe and monitor progress of this group of students especially because the impact of the progress on function and participation may be limited. Engaged behaviour is the single best predictor of successful learning (Lovannone et al., 2003). Using Barry Carpenter’s Engagement for Learning Framework (Carpenter et al., 2011, 2015) classroom tools, a group of 20 early intervention teachers and therapists were trained to describe engagement using the seven indicators of engagement in the Engagement Profile (Carpenter et al., 2011, 2015). With an inquiry-focused approach, understanding how a child engages provides knowledge to better design daily classroom activities. Person-centred thinking tools were also utilised to enhance the current ‘Student Passport’ which is a document that provides all members of the team including families, insight into the student’s preferences and a description of what and how the student engages for learning. Five students were included in the pilot implementation from 2022 to 2023. Moving forward, the implementation of the Engagement Profile and enhanced ‘Student Passport’ will be extended to approximately 10% of our student enrolment who have high developmental needs, alongside training for their respective early intervention educators and therapists.
Presentation Topic: OP4 - Using the Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) to Examine the Quality of Inclusive Practices in Singapore Preschool Classrooms
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Singapore has recently rolled out a variety of early intervention programs to support children with developmental needs in regular classrooms. Many preschool personnel are yet familiar with the myriad of early intervention services available. Since Early Intervention Practitioners are at the forefront of support provision, an understanding of the current climate in preschools and the early childhood teachers’ use of inclusive practices, will equip these practitioners to better provide the appropriate resources, training and support for the early childhood team whom they work with.
Presentation Topic: OP5 - Cost-effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of parent coaching via telerehabilitation for parents of young children with autism
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Research on the use of telerehabilitation for autism intervention has increased, especially for interventions that use parent coaching to train parents to implement intervention strategies in the home environment. Benefits include caregiver convenience and potential cost-savings for parents. However, research on the feasibility and acceptability of parent coaching via telerehabilitation remains limited. We examine the cost-effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of parent coaching via telerehabilitation for parents of young children with autism in a local study of about 120 participants.
Presentation Topic: OP6 - A transdisciplinary implementation of a social-emotional learning (SEL) programme drawing upon the CASEL 5 framework
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Forming positive social-emotional relationships is a key outcome area for children receiving early intervention. Promoting children’s social-emotional learning (SEL) in the form of developing healthy identities, managing their emotions and behaviours, and building relationships with others can facilitate better participation in the classroom and beyond. There are numerous evidence-based SEL frameworks and curricula that provide useful guidelines and resources for promoting social-emotional development. However, they are usually developed with neurotypical children in mind, and are hence less accessible for children with developmental needs. There are also practical constraints to implement a curriculum in its entirety in our local EI context. Drawing upon the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) 5 framework, an intervention programme targeting five interrelated SEL areas of competence, namely: 1) self-awareness and positive self-concept; 2) self-management; 3) social awareness; 4) relationship skills; and 5) responsible decision-making, was developed and implemented across two classes at RCEIP. Four evidence-based programmes/frameworks (i.e. Incredible Years, PATHS, Pyramid Model, Talkabout) were compared and referenced to identify suitable materials and activities to be adapted and incorporated into the programme. Weekly 30-minute sessions were co-planned and co-taught by the transdisciplinary team of psychologists, a speech therapist, and early intervention teachers across the span of a semester. Through the implementation of this programme, students were reported to have made progress on SEL-related goals on their IEP. There were also opportunities for knowledge exchange and transfer between EI professionals, paving the way for cross-learning and expansion of the scope of their intervention delivery and capacity.
Presentation Topic: OP7 - Early support to caregivers and children on EIPIC waitlist - Little SEEDS (Supporting Exploration and Engagement for Developmental Success)
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
The number of children diagnosed with special needs has increased, possibly due to improved developmental screening as part of the Second Enabling Masterplan by the Ministry of Social and Family Development. The ministry has made efforts to support these children and their families, but early intervention services are insufficient to meet the demand. In response, SPD introduced the Little SEEDS program in 2021, providing interim early intervention services for waitlisted children. Little SEEDS offers Saturday sessions, empowering caregivers to enhance their child's development through play and interactions at home. It employs technology like online training and apps to support caregivers. The study's objectives were to assess children's engagement, parents' confidence in implementing program strategies, their understanding of routines, and the transferability of learned strategies to daily life. Twenty-four parents with recently referred children to EIPIC at SPD participated in the program, where pre- and post-survey questionnaires were created and utilized to gather data. Preliminary findings suggest that Little SEEDS effectively empowers parents to engage their children in daily routines at home, aiding the learning and development of children awaiting enrollment in early intervention programs.
Presentation Topic: OP8 - Brewing Success: The ECHO Coffee and Collaboration Experience
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
The Early Childhood Holistic Outcomes (ECHO) Framework is a functional outcome measurement system and service delivery model implemented in Singapore's Early Intervention (EI) centres. After full implementation, Core Team members from EI centres participated in focus group discussions (FGD) to discuss implementation facilitators and barriers. The ECHO Technical Assistance (TA) team organised a Coffee and Collaboration (C&C) session from the feedback, modelled after Communities of Practice (CoP) where practitioners meet to share their expertise and collaborate. The goal of the C&C session was to share key FGD findings and provide a platform for collaboration.
Presentation Topic: OP18 - Children's Transition from Preschool to Primary School
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Studies have shown that the transition from preschool to primary school is critical for all children and has long-lasting benefits for not only academic success but also social-emotional development. In alignment with efforts to facilitate a smoother transition from Preschool to Primary 1, this presentation shares strategies that has been implemented in MOE Kindergartens to support children with developmental needs who require additional help to enhance their learning and developmental outcomes. These strategies include the explicit teaching of classroom work habits, social and communication skills and self-regulation skills. Implications for building capacity of early childhood educators will be discussed.
Presentation Topic: W1 - Supporting Children with Developmental Needs: Exploring the use of Developmental Art Therapy within the Classroom
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
Art is more than just making crafts and products! Process-based art can be a vehicle for communication while enhancing developmental domains in preschool children. This workshop empowers teachers to integrate art elements within their classrooms in supporting children with developmental needs.
Learning objectives:
Discover how the developmental art as therapy can be used to address developmental domains within the Expressive Therapies Continuum.
Presentation Topic: W2 - Developing and Implementing Child-focused Physical Education Programme in an Early Intervention Setting
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
We, a team of PE teachers at THK EIC Services, have developed three programmes to engage children aged 3-6 with varied profiles who attend our centres: Funplay programme for toddlers, PALS programme for children who require high support, and PE programme for children who require low support.
Our programmes adopt a multidisciplinary approach, integrating therapeutic techniques with structured physical activities. They include age-appropriate exercises, games, and movement-based interventions that focus on improving motor skills, coordination, social interaction, and overall physical health.
Preliminary findings indicated significant improvements in motor skills, including balance, coordination, and gross motor abilities among the children. Moreover, enhanced social engagement and self-esteem were observed, contributing to a positive impact on overall development. We also shared elements of these programmes with families, so that parents may carry out some activities in a home setting.
In this workshop, we will display a brief set up of the programmes mentioned. Through demonstrations and discussion, participants will be able to have a physical feel of the programme features and understand the different approaches we adopt to communicate and connect with children of different profiles.
Presentation Topic: W3 - Re-envisioning the roles of allied health professionals – Moving towards a transdisciplinary team approach in early intervention
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
The early intervention landscape in Singapore is moving towards a more collaborative approach where the allied health professionals (AHPs), teachers, and family members work together to integrate assessment, jointly plan and implement interventions in their natural environment. With the emergence of more collaborative practices, there is also a shift in the role of an AHP along the continuum from direct to integrative work, including coaching and consultation. While breaking away from isolated direct intervention and breaking down of discipline boundaries bring benefits to the children and families, there may be confusion of one’s “new role” in the current intervention set-up. The AHPs who join the early intervention sector typically have undergone robust discipline-focused professional training but there may be limited attention dedicated to understanding collaborative practices across disciplines. There is a delicate balance in learning when to apply one’s therapeutic skills directly on clients and when, what and how to release knowledge and skills to other team members. This session shares the key elements to be an effective team player and explores the attitudes and soft skills required to work collaboratively in a team. Participants are invited to reflect on their journey, their current views and positioning towards working with other disciplines, and envision how their roles would look like in a collaborative team. As a community, participants will explore what potential supports are needed from one another to boost their capability as an effective team player and/or how to facilitate collaborative practices in their organisations.
Presentation Topic: W4 - How might we enable caregivers to actively support their child with autism to develop Enhanced Life Skills?
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
Live a day in the lives of Adam and his caregiver in this interactive workshop by a team of professionals from THK EIC Services. The workshop features a hands-on experience of how caregivers may develop a holistic understanding of their child’s vocational strengths and interests and apply it in daily household activities.
Background research identified gaps within the early intervention sector, emphasizing importance of pre-vocational skills for children, and caregivers’ scant knowledge and resources in this aspect. The lack of standardized framework and definition across the sector made it difficult for educators to plan activities and ensure continuity of skills at home.
The problem statement “How might we enable caregivers to actively support their children with autism to develop Enhanced Life Skills?” was developed to address these gaps. The term “Enhanced Life Skills” replaced “prevocational skills” for caregivers’ ease of understanding. It refers to instrumental but non-essential life skills (I.e., housekeeping), which are based on child’s interests and strengths.
A web-based prototype housing interactive games, stories, tips, and resources was developed to help caregivers work on specific skills. A feedback function for caregivers enabled progress monitoring using caregivers’ own feedback on their child’s skills. Each story introduced a skill and included step-by-step visual instructions. The Learn-Try-Feedback model ensured that caregivers embed skills in real-life hands-on activities.
Participants can look forward to a fun and engaging session with selected Enhanced Life Skills and share valuable insights based on their experience.
Presentation Topic: OP9 - Impact of co-parenting quality and help-seeking preferences on psychological distress in caregivers of children with developmental needs in Singapore
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Parents of children with developmental needs are known to experience higher levels of psychological distress. Co-parenting is an arrangement where caregivers work together and share the responsibilities of raising a child. Parents’ emotional coping and co-parenting affects how they interact with their children, support their children’s emotions and teach their children new skills and behaviours.
This study aimed to examine the relationship between co-parenting quality, communication patterns, help-seeking, with perceived stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, in caregivers of children with developmental needs in Singapore. It will also examine if child and parent characteristics can affect these relationships. AWWA collaborated with KKH to conduct this study as part of the needs analysis to develop a caregiver mental health support programme.
These findings provide light that intervention for families should incorporate actions to contribute to the positive construction of co-parenting, communication styles and help- seeking in caregivers of children with special needs. Using data supported evidences, clinicians, therapists and teachers can incorporate these findings to better support the wellbeing of parents and improve parents’ positive outcomes.
Presentation Topic: OP10 - Effect of Parents’ Involvement in an early intervention physiotherapy programme on a child with Kabuki Syndrome: A Simple Case Study
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a rare genetic condition which often presents with distinctive facial features, heart defects, skeletal abnormalities, and developmental delays. While early intervention is crucial for children with KS, it could be challenging for some families due to its associated medical conditions. Limited studies have been conducted on the importance of parents’ involvement in early intervention for children with kabuki syndrome.
This case study reports on the effect of parents’ involvement in an early intervention physiotherapy programme with a family-centred approach on a child with Kabuki Syndrome.
Presentation Topic: OP11 - Making Every Preschool Inclusive (MEPI) - Implementation and Evaluation of the Co-teaching Approach between Early Intervention and Early Childhood Professionals for Early Childhood Inclusion
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
“Making Every Preschool Inclusive (MEPI)” is a collaborative exploration between Rainbow Centre and two preschool partners, St James’ Church Kindergarten and PAP Community Foundation to contextualise the co-teaching approach in preschools in Singapore. MEPI explores co-teaching, which is a teaching model that teams two or more professionals together with the purpose of designing and delivering on-going instruction, in a shared physical space to a diverse group of students, some of whom have disabilities” (Friend, 2008). This project aims to provide insights to the practice of co-teaching within the local context and examine its impact on professional growth amongst educators in working with diverse learners in the classroom. Qualitative and quantitative measures were collected and analysed based on administrative and student data, classroom observations, open-ended survey, Focus Group Discussions as well as a measure on Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practice (TEIP). This was carried out over various time points to examine the ongoing impact of co-teaching on Early Childhood Educators and Early Intervention Professionals involved in the practice. The study provides insights on the impact of co-teaching on capability building between professionals and provides a way forward to a sustainable implementation approach for early childhood inclusion. In particular, MEPI demonstrated how capability building in co-teaching, co-planning and inclusion shifts the attitudes of educators towards children with developmental needs.
Presentation Topic: OP12 - Towards a better developmental and health outcome for children from multi-stressed, low resource families. A bio-ecological approach.
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Children living with complex sub-optimal social and financial circumstances are more predisposed to adverse experiences which can affect their development. KidSTART works with partners across different sectors to empower low resourced families to foster positive child development outcomes, and ensure basic needs are addressed.
Through a case study, we would be sharing insights on how the KidSTART Practitioner (KSP) plays the critical key worker who coordinates the support required from a child-centric, family focused perspective, across health, social and early childhood domains.
Presentation Topic: OP13 - Into the Wild: Learning in Nature-Based Settings
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Nature-based practice is relatively new to Singapore, particularly in the early intervention field. Yet it carries much potential for engagement, participation and growth for children with developmental delays (Bradley & Male, 2017; Friedman et al., 2022).
THK EIC Services is working in collaboration with a community partner, muein, an arts and nature-based collective, to develop an evidence-informed inclusive project in nature-based settings.
Children with developmental needs will participate in nature-based activities together with typically developing children, led by trained forest school practitioners and early interventionists working together. This project aims to foster creative thinking and appreciation of nature and the environment as well as physical, social and emotional development among children with diverse abilities and interests. It also aims to cultivate attitudes of resilience, autonomy, respect and teamwork among the children as they carry out activities in nature. In particular, the different context and setting allows for a rich multitude of skills to be developed, generalised and strengthened in the children.
On the part of the early interventionists and the forest school practitioners, the collaborative space brings about novel insights and fresh perspectives from both parties’ expertise and ways of working. Capability building among professionals occurs in the process of researching, dialoguing, planning and implementing activities together.
The presentation will focus on key takeaways and lessons learnt throughout the collaborative process of planning and implementing this innovative project.
Presentation Topic: OP14 - ECHOing the Need for Coaching: Perspectives of Early Intervention Staff on the Early Childhood Holistic Outcomes Framework
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
The Early Childhood Holistic Outcomes (ECHO) Framework is a functional outcomes measurement system and service delivery model. It was implemented in 17 Early Intervention (EI) centres during its national implementation in Singapore. Selected EI staff who were initially trained by the ECHO Technical Assistance (TA) team now oversee the coaching of their respective staff to ensure long-term sustainability of the ECHO Framework within their centres.
The aims of the presentation are twofold:
Two hundred and ninety EI staff participated in an online survey developted by the TA team. Forty EI staff also participated in focus group discussion facilitated by external facilitators. Both methods included questions that elicited staff's attitudes, barriers and needs related to coaching. All data relevant to coaching were summarised and analyysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.
The data identified gaps in coaching and highlighted the importance of strengthening coaching support in the EI centres during implementation. To support the long-term sustainability of the ECHO Framework, preliminary recommendations related to coaching include: maintaining a core team of coaches, training of coaches and allocating protected time for coaching. Additionally, well-designers resources are recommended to support staff during the coaching process. Examples include a training platform with a national training institution and a coaching guide to support staff of different competency levels.
Presentation Topic: OP15 - Fostering home-school partnership through digital communication
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Involving families in the education of our children is essential to their development. Beyond just involving families, schools need to strive for family engagement and build partnerships between school and home. These partnerships between “stakeholders” are important for promoting children's well-being and development. When there is a greater focus on fostering more meaningful and personal relationships, the school and families can work closely together to provide the support and structure to make holistic decisions in maximizing a child’s potential. Given that many teachers and parents have begun to experiment with leveraging innovative digital technologies to communicate with each other, it is imperative that we develop a better understanding of how digital communication can be effectively incorporated as part of the service model to strengthen teacher-parent partnerships, and gain insights to help guide our current practice. The purpose of this study is to investigate how parents and teachers view the role of digital communication in building and maintaining partnership, receiving and giving feedback, conveying understandable messages. 46 teachers and 119 parents are recruited via convenience sampling for this study. Demographic information and The Digital Communication Scale (DCS) is used to collect the data. The findings of this study on the importance of using digital communication will be shared with teachers and EI Professionals to improve parent-teacher partnerships and guide the development of parent-teacher communication in digital environments. Teachers and EI Professionals could also be trained to be more adept in giving constructive and supportive feedback to parents via the digital platform.
Presentation Topic: OP16 - Developing a hybrid training model for early interventionists on the use of AAC in classrooms: A preliminary study
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an evidence-based form of intervention for individuals with speech and language delays and disorders. Dedicated time for early interventionists (EIs) to be trained on AAC intervention by speech-language therapists (SLTs) is limited in early intervention settings. Thus, a hybrid approach to training EIs was developed. First, asynchronous self-paced online learning was used to disseminate knowledge. Second, a 3-part face-to-face workshop focused on coaching EIs to apply the knowledge. Third, individualised feedback was provided on video recordings of the EIs implementing the strategies learnt within classrooms. The current study evaluates the outcome of the hybrid training model on the EIs’ use of AAC strategies in early intervention classrooms. The viability of replicating such a training model in EI settings will be discussed.
Presentation Topic: OP17 - Burnout, Work Engagement and Mental Health Amongst Social Service Professionals Working with Children and Adolescents with Disabilities
Format of Presentation: Oral Presentation
Presentation Synopsis:
This presentation is centered around the findings of a study conducted on the work-related well-being of social service professionals working with children and adolescents with disabilities in Singapore. The study not only delves into the issue of burnout (comprising of exhaustion and disengagement) but also explores the often-neglected aspect of work engagement (comprising of vigour, dedication, and absorption). Furthermore, it aims to identify key job demand and resource factors within the sector, and examine the potential of job resources in mitigating the impact of job demands on burnout. It further explores a critical component of general well-being, mental health, by assessing depressive and anxiety symptoms and their relationships with burnout and work engagement. A total of 155 social service professionals participated in the study by completing self-report questionnaires. The results of the study revealed that these professionals experienced both high levels of burnout and work engagement, alongside a prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Notably, job overload (a job demand) was found to positively predict burnout, while organizational support (a job resource) positively predicted work engagement and negatively predicted only disengagement. Furthermore, advancement (another job resource) was found to negatively predict burnout and mitigate the effects of overload on exhaustion. Lastly, the study identified that exhaustion and absorption were significant predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms. These findings are discussed within the context of demographic variables, existing literature, and their implications for theory and practice. The presentation also addresses the study's limitations.
Presentation Topic: W5 - Using the Inclusive Classroom Profile to guide professional development of Early childhood teachers and Early Intervention Practitioners
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
For early intervention teams in Singapore, supporting children with developmental needs often goes beyond working with the child and his or her family to involve collaboration with preschools on the quality of inclusion and the child's outcome. This workshop aims to introduce the participants to a tool which could both enhance early intervention practitioners' understanding of quality inclusive classroom practices as well as guide them in collaboratively engaging early childhood teachers to work towards high-quality inclusion in the preschool classroom.
Presentation Topic: W6 - When art- and speech-language therapy collide: Supporting storytelling skills through art therapy
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
One of the crucial tasks of early childhood centers around the mastery of social and emotional skills, including the ability to get along with other children, make friends and engage in social groups. However, for children living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), this developmental task proves to be even more challenging given their limitations in social interactions and communication skills.
In speech-language literature, narrative intervention procedures such as storytelling have often been used in supporting children with language difficulties. Most of these procedures include the use of a story grammar structure onto which events in a narrative are mapped. On the other hand, art therapy allows for children with ASD and language difficulties to express their thoughts, feelings and impressions of the world non-verbally through their creations. It further supports and builds imagination in these children.
Drawing upon literature supporting the benefits of art therapy and speech-language interventions, 15 children with ASD and speech language difficulties were encouraged to create novel stories through storyboarding, with the aid of story grammar symbols. This process engages children in a fun and interactive manner that builds their joy for learning while developing language and social-emotional competencies.
Through this workshop, the presenters aim to share the findings and stories generated by the children through art making and the aid of story grammar symbols; while encouraging participants to step into the shoes of our children in engaging in the process of creating their own novel stories in the same manner.
Presentation Topic: W7 - Harmonizing the workplace: Music therapy and art therapy for staff well-being at THKMC
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
Cultivating staff well-being is a crucial yet often overlooked priority. At THKMC, as an extension to mentoring, this abstract outlines an innovative approach to self-care for staff through the integration of music and art therapy. ‘Harmonizing the Workplace’ aims to provide participants with the transformative impact of creative expression to promote well-being, and in turn, fostering a resilient and harmonious work environment.
Key Components:
● Creative Expression as Stress Relief: This workshop delves into the therapeutic aspects of music and art as tools for stress relief. By engaging staff in creative expression, the workshop seeks to provide a constructive outlet for stress, promoting a healthier approach to managing stressors.
● Building a Creative Community: The workshop fosters a sense of community among staff members by encouraging shared artistic experiences. Through tuning in with each other through art and music therapy, staff can develop a deeper connection with their colleagues, promoting a supportive workplace culture.
● Sustainable Well-Being Practices: Beyond the immediate workshop experience, participants will be provided with tools and resources to continue integrating music and art therapy into their daily routines, contributing to a lasting positive impact on staff mental health.
‘Harmonizing the Workplace’ is a holistic approach to staff well-being by incorporating music and art therapy into the professional setting. For the early intervention conference, this self-care workshop will be a mini demonstration session which aims to provide participants with a safe space for introspection, creativity, and emotional release for the betterment of ourselves, our community, and our clients.
Presentation Topic: W8 - Now & Next: Families Navigating their Future through a Peer-Led Approach
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
Now & Next™ is an evidence-based, peer-led 8-week program designed to empower families to enhance their capability in achieving the best possible life for their children. This unique program fosters creative visioning for children with disabilities and their families, equipping them with practical skills to work towards their goals while also building effective partnerships with professionals.
Grounded in positive psychology and family-centred practice, Now & Next incorporates gamification and mindfulness to challenge traditional grief mindsets, emphasizing growth and empowerment. Co-designed in 2015, it stands as a pioneering "by families, for families" program, backed by evidence demonstrating increased hope, empowerment, wellbeing and goal achievement.
Facilitated by trained parent-peer workers, Now & Next workshops are conducted by program alumni who have successfully completed facilitator training. To date, over 1000 parents have completed the program, and we have trained 45 parent facilitators.
Presentation Topic: W9 - Pictability: A Family-Centred Approach to Innovative Planning and Goal Setting
Format of Presentation: Interactive Workshop
Presentation Synopsis:
In 2015, we introduced Pictability™ as an innovative planning tool to promote active family participation, in line with our core mission of empowering families. Anchored in the principles of positive psychology and gamification, this approach emphasises the strengths and abilities of both children and their families.
Through embracing creative exploration, families can realign with their core values and priorities, considering the needs of both the child and the entire family unit.
Pictability includes a comprehensive toolkit that enables parents to set meaningful developmental, social, and educational goals for their children, as well as personal and family objectives.
Co-designed with families, Pictability has enabled more than 2,500 parents and professionals to develop their visions and goals, affirming its effectiveness as an alternative planning approach. Furthermore, 45 parents and 199 professionals have been trained as Pictability facilitators, extending the reach of this transformative approach.
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