Alex Liau

Behavior Modification Therapy at Home

In this interview, we discuss:

• Alex’s experience with the autism community in Singapore
• The importance of early intervention
• Applying behavior modification techniques (ABA) and communication by exchange of figures (PECS)
• Benefits of performing therapies at home

Alex obtained his degree in Psychology in the National University of Singapore (NUS). He has many years of experience working with children exhibiting a wide array of learning and behavior difficulties, with many diagnosed as having autism spectral disorder (ASD). He received training on Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) in Australia and subsequently went to Houston, Texas to receive Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) training under Dr. Steven Gutstein and Dr. Rachel Sheely. He has presented in Australia, Houston and Singapore and has been invited to participate in interviews by the press in Singapore. Additionally, he has worked with clients from various countries like China, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and Australia. He has also mentored and trained many therapists throughout his career. His interest in children with special needs started while he was concentrating on Childhood Psychology and pursued a research project on autism and related disorders. The many successful cases he achieve while working intensively with children with ASD made him a firm believer of early intervention and other comprehensive, experimentally proven therapies. Alex has the ability to harness the confidence and self esteem of these children which in turn enable them to be more receptive to compliance training and regain the ability to learn and progress.

While utilizing the skills he acquired during training, he realized that the two therapies work well in tandem and children were receptive to different aspects of each therapy depending on the clinical presentation of the symptoms and impairments. He is the only therapist in Singapore that provides these two methods that synergise and facilitate the learning of a child. Since the RDI approach involves in building of rapport between the child and family, which works well in bringing about remediation of the child’s difficulties and reaps substantive benefits in the child’s development and progress when parents play an active roles in their child’s life, the focus then, is not only on the child, but also on his parents. Alex has generously provided the necessary emotional support and advice to the parents of children under his care.

As each child is unique, he develops individualized in-home behavioural intervention plans for children and teaching programmes for parents, tailored to the specifications and needs of each child, to effectively bring out the best potential of the child.

Alex also volunteers at Pathlight School under the Gound-Up Initiative (GUI). Alex sees the benefits of having the children with difficulties interact and grow together with other children and has extensive experience in providing mainstream school integration support through the various school collaborations. Embarking a step beyond, Alex has provided extracurricular activities to invoke the curiosity of these children by organising various group outings for all the children to participate in. His lifelong commitment is in fulfilling Nurture Pods’ mission as “An Early Intervention Centre for Children in Your Home”.

The SCERTS model is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary educational approach designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This model is not exclusive of other treatment approaches and methodologies, but rather provides a framework for those who are seeking guidelines for implementing a comprehensive educational plan that is based on our knowledge of the core developmental challenges faced by children with ASD, family-centered care, and our knowledge of the recommended tenets of educational programming. The model was designed to provide guidelines for helping children progress through the stages of becoming a competent social communicator. It was also designed to provide families and educational teams with the help they may need to feel successful in supporting the child. He will teach parents how to determine meaningful, purposeful, and motivating goals and strategies based on a child’s developmental stage, functional needs, and family priorities.

In addition, he will be able to apply the SCERTS scope and sequence of goals in program development, namely writing goals and determining supports (i.e., educational planning). The formal assessment will be introduced as a mechanism to determine a child’s stage of language acquisition, establish a profile of strengths and areas of need in those areas most impacted by the core challenges of ASD and monitor progress over time.

• www.nurturepods.com

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