SINGAPORE – When the autism team at the Institute of Mental Health’s (IMH) Child Guidance Clinic began its work almost 20 years ago, Singapore did not have a dedicated public healthcare service for children with autism.

Since then, it has helped develop clinical practice guidelines for autism care and ensure that those with autism receive good, consistent care.

The team now sees about 200 patients annually, in addition to training teachers, therapists, and other medical professionals to better understand autism.

For its efforts, it was awarded the National Community Care Excellence Team Award at the National Medical Excellence Awards.

In 2025, the awards, presented by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, recognised four individuals and three teams for excellence in areas such as care quality, research and community health. Winners received a trophy, a citation and $10,000.

The members of the IMH’s Child Guidance Clinic team – comprising consultant Lan Zhongzheng, principal clinical psychologist Goh Tze Jui, principal medical social worker Magdalene Foo and senior psychologist Joelene Tan – were given the awards at a ceremony held at Capella Singapore on Sept 19. Dr Lan, who was travelling, did not attend the event.

Said the Ministry of Health (MOH): “Through research, training, and partnerships both locally and internationally, they have expanded their assessment capabilities, improved service quality, and enhanced accessibility.”

It noted that the team’s efforts helped to successfully reduce waiting times for patients and contributed significantly to professional development and community services.

MOH singled out the team’s development of a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy programme for children with autism.

“This intervention programme is evidence-based, designed to help young people with autism regulate their emotions and manage anxiety as they learn to identify emotions, develop coping strategies, and improve social skills through structured sessions,” the ministry said in a statement.

Dr Lan, who is the team lead, said that back in 2006, the team noticed that many children with autism, who have average cognitive abilities, were struggling significantly with anxiety. However, most therapy programmes at the time were not designed specifically for children with autism.

So the team came up with a programme designed to fit how these children think and learn, he said.

“It’s not rocket science – we teach kids practical ways to understand their emotions and cope with anxiety. But we do it in a way that makes sense to them, with structure and clear steps they can follow,” said Dr Lan.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the team worked with the National University Hospital and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital to create a care kit with pictures and simple explanations to help children with special needs understand new procedures such as swabbing and mask-wearing.

This “small initiative” also helped educate healthcare professionals about the unique needs of children with special needs, said Dr Lan.

In April, the team launched the Autism Collaborative, which aims to get hospitals, schools and social services to work together to help those with autism.

It also aims to tackle the “transition challenge” faced by young people with autism when moving from child to adult services.

Among the others lauded was National Heart Centre Singapore senior consultant Carolyn Lam, who won the National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award.

She helped develop the first treatment approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction – a condition where the heart’s left ventricle becomes stiff, leading to fatigue and shortness of breath.

Winning the National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award was former Sengkang General Hospital chief executive officer, Professor Christopher Cheng.

The senior consultant urologist mentored numerous prominent local and regional urologists, and led the development of the patented Mona Lisa robot for prostate biopsy, which is now a commercial device.

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Source: [The Straits Times] © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.