All About Autism

[botakgundul]

nugget:

botakgundul,


Was it difficult to transfer into Pathlight?

My son was recommended pathlight as well but we decided to go for mainstream instead. But we are prepared to let son into pathlight if he is really unable to cope.

Thanks for all the pointers. I will discuss all these with AED when I see her during orientation.

If you don't mind, can you share with me what kind of support will AED provided the ASD child during class? Will they help to draw up schedule? Assign a student to be the prompter? What other info/things do I need to ready myself to make this successful?

Was it difficult to transfer into Pathlight?

It's not difficult.

For my case, I don't need to wait for too long. I submitted the application in May 2013 and I received PL confirmation in Sep 2013. However, you may take note that I enroll my son for P3 next year. It may be more challenging for upper primary (P4 onwards) because the demand may be more.

Just for sharing...

1) First, please obtain psychologist report and share it to your son form teacher and AED teacher. The report should come from EP (Educational Psychologist). This person shall know how the mainstream school operates and should be able to advice you (as parents) and the school teachers (form teacher & AED teacher) what kind of support required by your son.

For my case, once I obtain the report from my EP, I setup a meeting with my son teachers (form teacher & AED teacher) and read the report together. The purpose is to ensure they read the report and understand from them if there's a question or concern raised.

As mentioned that the AED teacher only supports my son when he is in P2. I asked the AED teacher to focus more on social skills. E.g. observing my son behaviour during recess time and exam time and provides feedback, teaches my son on how to make friends using social skills picture books etc.

Please take note that I don't depend only on the AED teacher in the school. I also engage other therapist such as OT (Occupational Therapy) & ST (Speech Therapy) for my son.

For drawing up schedule, I assume you are referring to the class schedule. The form teacher would provide you the class time table.

2) Second, please ask your form teacher to let your son sit in front near teacher desk so your son will get less disturbance and can focus better.

3) Third, please ask your form teacher if the teacher could implement buddy system for your son.

For my case, my son's P2 form teacher nominates 2 pupils as my son's buddy. Only 1 buddy is available at one time and they work in alternate week or month (not too sure on the details arrangement).

The purpose of buddy system is to help your children familiarize with his class and school routine. In short, my son's buddy is his form teacher PA (Personal Assistance).

My son's buddy will remind my son to submit his assignment, to write down homework into school diary, to stay focus in the class (in case he's day dreaming) etc.

Last but not least, I only share with you what I've done. Hopefully, the above information helps you to achive your objectives.

[AdeleisG]

Hi, regarding autism, I’m not sure whether this was mentioned previously in any page, but having read and once contacted a teacher who’s experienced in helping autistic children, I would suggest swimming therapy for them. The swimming therapy may not be cheap though useful in helping them deal better with surrounding.


Water is in fact a good way of helping them in terms of thinking; I’m not very clear about how it works either but it’s been proven to be really effective. Sg also has some schools which specialize in swimming therapy for autistic children.

Hope this helps!

[botakgundul]

belachanbabe:

botakgundul


Thanks so much for the insights in coping with primary school. You must have gone through a lot of agonising with your eventual decision to transfer your boy to PL. But you seem to have made the right decision.
Am in the same situation as nugget, what types of support are AED officers expected to or are able to provide given that they have to take care of so many students?

My boy’s school has 2 AEDs but that’s because there’s 330 students per level. That’s 1,980 students. Say there are 10% students that require more help: not only autistic but ADHD, dyslexia etc. still 99 to take care per AED teacher. Most schools have 1 AED but the ratio should be the same.

Practically, am not expecting any other help than to monitor my kid’s progress in the school with feedback from his teachers. Yeah, low expectations.

There are mainstream schools with strong support of AED teachers such as Naval Base (Yishun) and St. Andrew (Toa Payoh). It may be more, you may want to explore more.

For Naval Base, it's not our favour due to distance.

For St. Andrew, it's not our favour due to long waiting list.

[botakgundul]

Double E:

Thanks very much for your sharing. Is really useful.
For your friend's son who is also mildly autistic but yet coping well in P4, was it due to the good support by AED in school or is just his ability?
And I have the same question as nugget, how easy or difficult is it for you to transfer to Pathlight mid way? And how long did you wait for the transfer to be approved? Do you have to send your boy for assessment at Pathlight? I am thinking, can the transfer be done during mid-term or must he complete a year in main-stream before he can transfer? Also, your boy will go to P3 in Pathlight next year or he has to start all over from P1?

Sorry for the many questions.

thanks

For your friend's son who is also mildly autistic but yet coping well in P4, was it due to the good support by AED in school or is just his ability?

When I mentioned that my friend's son is coping well until he's in P4, I'm not referring to his academic result. Her son is still facing challenging on his creative writing and oral. However, her son is able to submit his homework independently, can focus better recently (especially when he entered P4 this year), have few friends and no major issue is reported by the class teachers and school DM (Discipline Master).

My friend exempted her son for Chinese since P1. She submitted the form during P1 orientation and it's approved once the school is reopened and her son entered P1.

My friend is only outsourcing English to the tuition. She's teaching her son Math & Science.

how easy or difficult is it for you to transfer to Pathlight mid way?

I didn't transfer my son mid year because it'll be very disruptive.

Do you have to send your boy for assessment at Pathlight?

Pathlight school invites me to bring my son for class stimulation assessment in September.

Here are detais:
- The assessment lasted for 2 hours from 9.30AM to 11.30AM.
- Have to give my son $4 in case he wants to buy food during recess.
- My son joined the existing class (P2 class).
- According to my son, he's having test for Math and English.
- I saw my son having recess with his P2 Pathlight friends and he was playing UNO card happily with his new friends.

your boy will go to P3 in Pathlight next year or he has to start all over from P1?

My son will join P3 in Pathlight next year. However, you may take note that if you want to transfer your children from Pathlight to mainstream school, you have to downgrade her/him to 1 level below.

Let say, your son is in P5 Pathlight this year, 2013. Then you want to transfer him to the mainstream school next year, 2014. Then, your son will be in P5 mainstream school for 2014.

I hope I answer all your questions. Cheers!

[botakgundul]

ImMeeMee:

botakgundul


My doter is enrolling into PL P1 next year. There is an orientation towards the end of December. I just received the registration package and there are quite a few things to follow up, eg. booklists, uniforms etc.

Hope you are getting the required information for the transfer too?

Hi ImMeeMee,

I just received it last night. Thanks for letting me know.

[botakgundul]

tyeogh:

*sitting around waiting for botakgundul reply too*

Sorry tyeogh, I'm only available between 6pm and 7pm. Also midnight, if I have to continue doing my office work at home.

[tabgha]

AdeleisG:

Hi, regarding autism, I'm not sure whether this was mentioned previously in any page, but having read and once contacted a teacher who's experienced in helping autistic children, I would suggest swimming therapy for them. The swimming therapy may not be cheap though useful in helping them deal better with surrounding.


Water is in fact a good way of helping them in terms of thinking; I'm not very clear about how it works either but it's been proven to be really effective. Sg also has some schools which specialize in swimming therapy for autistic children.

Hope this helps!

People are quick to charge more when there's a \"therapy\" word in there somewhere. End of day, it's just swimming lessons. So don't have to pay for more than necessary. All one needs is a patient swimming instructor and a child that is not afraid of water and ready to learn.

Swimming helps the ASD child in so many ways:

- coordination => getting the strokes in order, timing the breathing with the strokes
- improves the vestibular and proprioception
- survival skills
- exercises and loosens the tight muscles => as the body relaxes, child becomes less rigid and fixated in his ways

Personally, I feel that a good time for an asd child to learn swimming is about 6-7yo or around the lower primary school years.

If below 6yo, I find swimming lessons not necessary - actually a waste of $$ at that time, as the child is not ready psychologically and behaviorally. Best to just let him play in the kids/wading pool or increase water confidence at that age.

[nugget]

botakgundul,


Thank you once again for the detailed write up.

Yup I have authorized KKH to release all documents (Psychological reports, Medical Reports, IQ test reports) to the school.

On top of this, I have also send the AEDs the "School readiness" report as well.

I have already reached out to the AEDs and will share all your pointers with the AEDs as well. I hope he will meet a nice buddy in class. Right now in his mainstream CC, he also have this buddy who always look out for him. But too bad they are not enrolled in the same school.

May all our kids keep meeting kind souls along the way.

[nugget]

tabgha:

People are quick to charge more when there's a \"therapy\" word in there somewhere. End of day, it's just swimming lessons. So don't have to pay for more than necessary. All one needs is a patient swimming instructor and a child that is not afraid of water and ready to learn.

Swimming helps the ASD child in so many ways:

- coordination => getting the strokes in order, timing the breathing with the strokes
- improves the vestibular and proprioception
- survival skills
- exercises and loosens the tight muscles => as the body relaxes, child becomes less rigid and fixated in his ways

Personally, I feel that a good time for an asd child to learn swimming is about 6-7yo or around the lower primary school years.

If below 6yo, I find swimming lessons not necessary - actually a waste of $$ at that time, as the child is not ready psychologically and behaviorally. Best to just let him play in the kids/wading pool or increase water confidence at that age.

I agree with you. When it comes to Wedding, Feng Shui, Baby, Special Needs, the price tag on the same thing/service increase tremendously.

I think whether or not to get a special needs teacher to teach tuition/swimming, its really depends on how adaptable the child is to mainstream teacher. If the child meltdown easily, a normal teacher without special needs training will not know how to handle.

But children being children, a patience teacher will always better for a child. Other than therapy which calls for specialized interventions, his tuition/enrichment are all under the normal usual teachers. But I do change teachers / classes a few times to find the right fit.

I believe even for NT kids, they all adapt to different teachers as well.

Having said that, I am also looking for a swimming instructor for my kids. If you know of any patient instructor who teaches in the Seng Kang / Hougang / Serangoon area, please let me know. The one I know has a super duper long waiting list.

[Double E]

nugget:

tabgha:

People are quick to charge more when there's a \"therapy\" word in there somewhere. End of day, it's just swimming lessons. So don't have to pay for more than necessary. All one needs is a patient swimming instructor and a child that is not afraid of water and ready to learn.

Swimming helps the ASD child in so many ways:

- coordination => getting the strokes in order, timing the breathing with the strokes
- improves the vestibular and proprioception
- survival skills
- exercises and loosens the tight muscles => as the body relaxes, child becomes less rigid and fixated in his ways

Personally, I feel that a good time for an asd child to learn swimming is about 6-7yo or around the lower primary school years.

If below 6yo, I find swimming lessons not necessary - actually a waste of $$ at that time, as the child is not ready psychologically and behaviorally. Best to just let him play in the kids/wading pool or increase water confidence at that age.

I agree with you. When it comes to Wedding, Feng Shui, Baby, Special Needs, the price tag on the same thing/service increase tremendously.

I think whether or not to get a special needs teacher to teach tuition/swimming, its really depends on how adaptable the child is to mainstream teacher. If the child meltdown easily, a normal teacher without special needs training will not know how to handle.

But children being children, a patience teacher will always better for a child. Other than therapy which calls for specialized interventions, his tuition/enrichment are all under the normal usual teachers. But I do change teachers / classes a few times to find the right fit.

I believe even for NT kids, they all adapt to different teachers as well.

Having said that, I am also looking for a swimming instructor for my kids. If you know of any patient instructor who teaches in the Seng Kang / Hougang / Serangoon area, please let me know. The one I know has a super duper long waiting list.

Nugget, my son's swimming instructor is very patient, charging $60 an hour for one-to-one. U interested?