All About Autism
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//Editor's note: Topic selected for http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/living-autism.
Living with Autism
Children with autism are not all alike. In fact they can be as different
from each other as any other child. There is an ‘autistic spectrum' and
children may be on different points of it. Some children have difficulties
alongside their autism, which may affect their education and their overall
emotional and social development.
Other autistic children may be able to learn as well as, or even better
than, children of the same age who don't have autism. Very rarely, a
child with autism may truly shine at one or two particular skills such as
maths, music or art.
Autism affects the ability and desire to connect with other people, and so
autism in children affects the child's ability to form relationships with
others.
Most children with autism look as ‘normal' as any other child, though their
behaviour or possibly their speech, may make them seem different. It
may or may not be obvious to people outside the family that a child has
autism. At first there is probably no real sign of it. In fact, some children
with autism are not diagnosed for a while, as the symptoms of autism are
not always clear-cut.
What children with autism do have in common, is a serious
communication difficulty, and often this only becomes clear as they
emerge from babyhood. A toddler can develop normally, and then he
may start to ‘go backwards', stopping learning to talk, for instance when
he had been making progress.
What can you do to help children with autism?
A child with autism has problems understanding the ways of the world,
and other people's behaviour. There is no actual cure for autism, though
some people do develop ways of living independently, and overcoming
some of the most problematic aspects of the condition.
Some researchers and doctors have discovered that the majority of
respondents said their child had other problems like ADHD, dyspraxia,
mental health problems.
The very individual nature of autism is one of the reasons why treatment
or therapy is such a challenge. Other conditions may be complicating the
pictures as well as the fact that autism can be different in every child.
There has been cases of twins, both with autism where one was helped
by therapy and the other one wasn't. It can be very hard to evaluate
therapies, and in fact, there is very little evidence base for many
therapies. But absence of evidence doesn't mean the therapy is of no
value. It may mean that a detailed research hasn't yet been done.
Research into children with autism
Research needs to improve, so treatment can be based on what is likely
to help the majority of children with autism. Structured educational
programmes, where the child can be helped to understand in advance
what's going to happen, are normally helpful.
Autistic children dislike change, and prefer routine. Therapies and
interventions that acknowledge this are more likely to be effective.
Need help? Need to speak to someone?
Or do you need to know more about autism?
Autism Association
Blk 381, Clementi Ave 5, #01-398 Singapore 120381
Tel: (65) 6774 6649
http://web.singnet.com.sg/~autism/
AWWA School
11 Lorong Napiri, Singapore 547532
Tel: (65) 6511 5280
http://www.awwa.org.sg
Canossian School
No.1 Sallim Road Singapore 387621
Tel: (65) 6749 8971
http://www.cshi.com
Chaoyang School (age 7-12 yrs)
18 Ang Mo Kio Ave 9, Singapore 569767
Tel: (65) 6456 6922
http://www.apsn.org.sg
Divinity Especial Needs Intervention Centre
Blk 249, Bishan Street 22, #B1-370, Singapore 570249
Tel: (65) 6459 9552
http://www.divinity.edu.sg
Eden School (formely Singapore Autism School)
101 Yuan Ching Rd, Singapore 618653
Tel: (65) 6265 7400
http://www.edenschool.edu.sg
Fernvale Gardens School
7 Fernvale Road, Singapore 797635
Tel: (65) 6481 6697
http://www.minds.org.sg/schools/yiochu/
Grace Orchard School (age 6-18 yrs)
35 Boon Lay Avenue, Singapore 649962
Tel: (65) 6264 4600
http://www.go.edu.sg
Genesis School for Special Education
9/11 West Coast Road, Singapore 127296
Tel: (65) 6733 1172
http://www.genesisschool.com.sg
Kits4Kids Special School
63 Ceylon Road, Singapore 429647
Tel: (65) 6345 8812
http://www.kits4kids.org
Lee Kong Chian Gardens School
802 Margaret Drive, Singapore 149311
Tel: (65) 6473 8332
http://www.minds.org.sg/schools/leekong/
Lighthouse School
51 Toa Payoh Rise, Singapore 298106
Tel: (65) 6250 3755
http://www.ssvh.edu.sg
Metta School (age 6-18 yrs)
30 Simei Street, Singapore 529950
Tel: (65) 6788 5800
http://www.mettaschool.edu.sg
Pathlight School
5, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, Singapore 569739
Tel: (65) 6459 9951
http://www.pathlight.org.sg
Rainbow Center (Margaret Drive)
501 Margaret Drive, Singapore 149306
Tel: (65) 6472 7077
http://www.rainbowcentre.org.sg
Rainbow Center (Margaret Drive)
15 Yishun Street 61, Singapore 768548
Tel: (65) 6482 2592
http://www.rainbowcentre.org.sg
Singapore School for the Deaf
227 Mountbatten Road, Singapore 397998
Tel: (65) 6345 6765
http://www.ssd.edu.sg
St Andrew's Autism School (7-18 years)
(Temporary) St. Andrew Community Hospital, Level 10, 8 Simei Street 3
(After 2010) 1 Eilliot Road
Tel: (65) 6586 1021
http://www.sach.org.sg/Web/Site/Default.aspx?mid=7
St. Clare - School for Special Needs
102B Upper Aljunied Road, Singapore 367881
Tel: (65) 6284 1909
http://www.saintclare.com.sg
Towner Gardens School
1B Lengkong Lima, Singapore 417557
Tel: (65) 6446 2612
http://www.minds.org.sg/schools/towner/
Woodlands Gardens School
30 Woodlands Ring Road, #01-01, Singapore 737883
Tel: (65) 6468 0566
http://www.minds.org.sg/schools/jurong/
For related articles on autism, autism therapy
interventions, click the blue link to go to : > http://iautistic.com/autism-therapy-intervention.php -
bbforest,
Don’t worry yourself but trying to figure out things you read on the internet. It would be better to go to a specialist.
Observe your child closely and perhaps it may help to take note of things or ‘triggers’ to certain behaviour. That may help with the diagnosis. Meanwhile, do not worry unnecesarily. My son did not say a word till he was 16 months ago, and after that, he can’t stop talking. -
Just to add on, children who are diagnosed at an earlier age have better
chances of growing up to be more independent.
Early intervention will allow better progress if therapies were to be
introduced. The later an autistic child is diagnosed, the longer the
speech delay might prolong…
Early intervention also helps the educators work with how the child
CAN learn best. More often than usual, autistic children will not be
able to conform to the usual progress of the group of children of
the same age. That said, it also depends on the autism spectrum
as diagnosed by the doctors.
I have worked with children with mild autism and a few extreme
ones as well… The milder ones grew up; still able to learn how to
read and write effectively and even play well with other children
the same age. Communication is not a problem either. Early
diagnosis enabled the teachers to render earlier and a more
appropriate assistance so that the child is able to progress
and develop their potential to the best of their abilities. -
Hi
I'm new to this forum & I'm glad to have found this thread. You may say I am the new Kiasu member
Fortunately or unfortunately, I am a mother to a 3yr old Autistic child.
Can we start a somewhat Autism Support Thread in this Forum here?
I've read so much in the other threads how kiasu parents discuss about signing up their normal mainstream kids for this -&-that enrichment .... I was hoping there will be a thread or forum whereby \"kiasu parents of autistic kids\" can also discuss where to sign our kids up to help them improve by heaps & bounds ....ie which special school to go , which therapy is good.... etc etc ... Afterall , autistic or not, they are our kids too and we have every right to \"feel kiasu\" for them
As my child is only 3, I am focusing more on the early intervention programmes available ... and hopefully I can \"get him ready for Pri 1\" .. just like any other child
So any parents in similar predicament : care to share with me what therapy / which special school and what method you adopt at home to help your child improve on his/her motor skills, speech, behavior mgmt ...etc etc ?
Thanks ! -
WaWa:
... Can we start a somewhat Autism Support Thread in this Forum here? ...
Hi WaWa, welcome to KiasuParents.com. This is already meant to be the Autism Support thread, and we have sticky-ed it to make it easy to parents to find. -
ChiefKiasu:
Hi ChiefKiasuWaWa:
... Can we start a somewhat Autism Support Thread in this Forum here? ...
Hi WaWa, welcome to KiasuParents.com. This is already meant to be the Autism Support thread, and we have sticky-ed it to make it easy to parents to find.
Many thanks ......by \"sticky-ed\" i take it to mean you have put the thread the 1st few items in the Health Forum ??? sorry i m new .. .still trying to get acquainted w KiasuParents terminology
But really I am VERY HAPPY to hv found this thread..... thanks again for accomodating us
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Hi all, I'm so happy to have found this thread. I have a 4 y/o son who has been diagnosed with ASD, and I would love to meet/speak to moms who are going thru the same thing. Also, does anyone know of any primary schools that can offer good support for children with autism? I know the MOE has equipped many schools with this kind of support, but there must be some schools that are better/more experienced than others. Any thoughts, suggestions or ideas??
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hi mommaholic
welcome I'm also happy to \"meet\" u here... does that make your son a 2005 kid? Mine's a 2006 kid so our sons are 1 year apart...
Where was your son diagnosed? KKH or NUH? Have you done the full psychological test on your son? Which spectrum is he on? Since u r talking abt Pri school, i supposed your son should be mild case? I m keeping my fingers' crossed that my son can attend mainstream school too ... but will leave everything to God... altho will still try my best to work with my son to help him integrate.
Can I also ask which preschool is your son attending? Is he currently attending any intervention programme? If so , which one? My son is currently on waitlist at AAS, Simei (I stay in East area) and taking OT sessions w HPB.
Apologies for so many questions. Sigh ... i was hoping to get some directions here - hope u don't mind -
Mommaholic:
Hi all, I'm so happy to have found this thread. I have a 4 y/o son who has been diagnosed with ASD, and I would love to meet/speak to moms who are going thru the same thing. Also, does anyone know of any primary schools that can offer good support for children with autism? I know the MOE has equipped many schools with this kind of support, but there must be some schools that are better/more experienced than others. Any thoughts, suggestions or ideas??
My ex-colleague puts her kid in Henry Park Primary and has positive comments for the school. -
I’ve a friend whose ds has mild autism,he’s 9 yrs old now.He was given a chance to study in a neighbourhood primary school.My friend puts him in Kumon too.He’s doing very well in school,he even scored distinction in English and Maths for New South Wales test.He just doesn’t mix well with others but he’s a smart kid
Just sharing
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