April 4, 2016

This study on autism in children in Singapore was conducted in 2001 by Dr. Vera Bernard-Opitz, former faculty member at the NUS Department of Social Work and Psychology,  along with K. W. Kwook and S. Sapuan. The findings of this study were published in the International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 24(1), 1-6.

The report describes the results of a survey conducted on 176 parents of children with autism in Singapore. The ages of the children ranged from 3 to 12 years. The survey focused on the child’s background, behaviour problems and skill profile, the home and school situation as well as the linguistic and social background. It was noted that the Singapore population confirms the international distribution regarding a predominance of boys over girls and a low incidence of birth complications. A positive trend noted was the fact that 60% of the children were diagnosed before the age of 3. Discussion focuses on possible risk factors and psycho-social adversities for autism such as a high frequency of caregivers who are foreign maids, the use of multiple languages and the high level of punitive educational practices. The possible influence of psycho-social deprivation on child development is discussed.

To learn more about the interesting findings of this report, click here.