Insights Into Autism 2018 was a panel dialogue session held at the Clinical Sciences Building in Novena on 23 February 2018. Organised by Project ANGEL@LKC, the sharing session aimed to educate future healthcare professionals and teachers on autism-related issues, and drew audience members from various institutions such as Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Polytechnic and Singapore Institute of Technology.
Speakers at the event included doctors, allied healthcare professionals, and an allied educator – all of whom drew upon their years of experience to share their thoughts about working with persons with autism. Partway through the individual presentations, a fast-paced quiz was conducted, with members of the audience walking away with prizes. The quiz touched upon basic facts and clarified some common misconceptions about autism.
The panel session also allowed an opportunity for audience members to field questions, ranging from profession-specific clarifications to broad queries about autism in Singapore.
“Organising this event was a great experience for us as we were able to work with many inspiring speakers who were clearly very passionate about their meaningful work. I am especially heartened that most participants enjoyed the talks, and some even put in the effort to take notes. I hope this event has given everyone involved greater insights into the lives of people with autism, so we can help them in a more informed and compassionate manner.” Justin Lim, ANGEL@LKC Committee
“I was surprised that we managed to open up the event to a wider variety of participants from various courses and schools; and happy to know that there are many others out there who are interested to find out more about people with autism and how to communicate with them. I enjoyed listening to the speakers who presented different viewpoints based on their experiences, and I hope that our participants did as well! Overall, it was a wonderful learning experience for us through organising such an event and at the same time, gaining new insights from it.” Khoo Wen Xi, ANGEL@LKC Committee
“Organising Insights into Autism was truly an enriching experience. This was an event that was quite different from the previous ones we have planned as it involved quite a few external partners as well as students from not only Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, but also those from the various courses in NTU, NIE and even NUS. It required more planning in terms of our publicity efforts and how we had to organise the programme to make it relevant for all our participants, be it future doctors, teachers, or any other healthcare professional. Although there were some minor hiccups during the planning process, I believe they served as a great learning experience, and I am glad the team managed to resolve them together and materialised a successful event. It was also fulfilling to have helped organise the first programme of this nature. The response from both the audience and the speakers were largely positive, and various participants have commented that they found the content interesting and relevant to them. Insights into Autism 2018 has set the foundations for future programmes of a similar nature, and I look forward to being a part of the planning process again to serve the student population.” Ian Koh, ANGEL@LKC Committee
About Project ANGEL@LKC
Established in 2016, Project ANGEL@LKC was started as a local Community Involvement Project (CIP) by 12 students of Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. The team was brought together by their shared desire to make a difference in the lives of people with autism, and knowing that more could be done for these individuals who face difficulties integrating into society.
Project ANGEL@LKC’s main partner is St. Andrew’s Autism Centre (SAAC), a non-profit, integrated centre for education, training and care of persons with autism and their families. The team has also helped to fundraise for SAAC’s Day Activity Centre.
Being a CIP run entirely by medical students, Project ANGEL@LKC also has a special interest in educating future healthcare professionals about autism in the context of Singapore’s healthcare system, with the hopes of shaping Singapore’s healthcare system to be more inclusive and understanding of patients with special needs.
