School Support Session

Parents and teachers are the most significant people supporting the learning and development of children with ASD, and home-school collaboration is important for the successful implementation of inclusive education. In this talk, results from surveys of parents’ and teachers’ perceptions about their children or students with ASD studying in mainstream primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong as well as related issues will be presented. Topics include perceptions about students’ needs and difficulties, their sense of efficacy in managing related problems, and perceptions about home and school support. Implications about the support needs of parents and teachers and the fostering of home-school collaboration will be discussed.
 
Speaker
Dr. Irene Ho, Project Director (School Support) and Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong
Dr. Ho is a Registered Educational Psychologist and an ex-Chairperson of the Division of Educational Psychology of the Hong Kong Psychological Society. She is a teacher of the Educational Psychology Programme at the Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong and has substantial experience in practice and research related to Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has led a number of government- or NGO-funded training programmes and development projects in this area. Dr. Ho has also served as consultant for various educational and community organizations. Currently as Director of the School Support Project under JC A-Connect, she and her team lead in enhancing support to students with ASD studying in mainstream schools as well as their teachers and parents. She also has research interests and expertise in promoting critical thinking and teacher efficacy.