special Needs- to declare or not declare?

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Fri, 16 May 2014 11:47:12 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 16 May 2014 11:47:12 GMT

bb_ mom:
Same! Even if I apply for extra time for DS, he'll still day dream or lose he steam to complete the paper. Still pondering whether to apply for extra time.

This is sa1...so more topics tested. If it is speed, then June is the time to ramp her up. This PTM, we will discuss with her teacher if extra time will help...because she will sit in another classroom and like bb mom, I am afraid she may lose steam with extra time or else change the answers from right to wrong.

I don't bother with special annotations indicated on PSLE cert if she has extra time. If she needs it, then no choice. Every child is different.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Fri, 16 May 2014 09:46:47 GMT

bb_ mom — Fri, 16 May 2014 09:46:47 GMT

Mine just wants to speed through so extra time may not work. But I heard that the application for extra time is not solely for extra time but also to enable invigilator to take note of the child and draw the kid back to the exam if dreaming. I’ll need this extra help!

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Fri, 16 May 2014 09:20:17 GMT

ammonite — Fri, 16 May 2014 09:20:17 GMT

My ds says the extra time really helps him for writing tasks ie compo and zuowen. I did tell him to be prepared that he may not get the same accommodations during national exams, but for now, i feel it is very helpful to him both practically and emotionally.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Fri, 16 May 2014 09:06:09 GMT

bb_ mom — Fri, 16 May 2014 09:06:09 GMT

Same! Even if I apply for extra time for DS, he’ll still day dream or lose he steam to complete the paper. Still pondering whether to apply for extra time.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Fri, 16 May 2014 06:29:20 GMT

sharonkhoo — Fri, 16 May 2014 06:29:20 GMT

janet_lee88:
In my daughter's language assessment report for the MT exemption, one of the recommendations was to ask for extra time for school/national exams. This sa1 should give me an indication whether I should apply for it...I only thought of MT exemption at that time...but daughter told me she left math problem sum as well as science OE questions undone ...so if she needs extra time, I'll ask for application.

I've just been informed by my daughter's teachers that the application for special accommodations has to be submitted to MOE/SEAB too and it could take some time. The cert will be annotated to show that accommodations were given, but that's not something I'm that concerned about.

Like you, I have also decided to let my daughter take the mid-year exams under normal conditions and see how she copes. She may need extra time for Maths, but I think she should be OK for other subjects. Another thing you may want to consider is whether your child can last the length of time if extra time is given. My daughter is taking A levels, and the exams are already 3 hrs long, so I don't know if the extra time will really help if she is already exhausted.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Fri, 16 May 2014 03:53:13 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 16 May 2014 03:53:13 GMT

In my daughter’s language assessment report for the MT exemption, one of the recommendations was to ask for extra time for school/national exams. This sa1 should give me an indication whether I should apply for it…I only thought of MT exemption at that time…but daughter told me she left math problem sum as well as science OE questions undone …so if she needs extra time, I’ll ask for application.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Sat, 10 May 2014 17:18:15 GMT

MTMT03 — Sat, 10 May 2014 17:18:15 GMT

schweppes:

Some teachers are genuinely concerned and really want to help the child. They are willing to work with the parents to bring out the best in the child.

On the other hand, there are also teachers who are less than sympathetic. Guess, can't have everything. With such teachers, must handle with \"delicate\" care as we don't want to make them dislike the child more.

Having said that, it also depends on the temperament and personality of the child. If the child is violent, aggressive, rude, then no matter how saintly the teachers are, can be an uphill task to handle challenging kids as well. (don't forget, the poor teachers have 30 other kids to manage as well)

At the same time, we must also work on the special needs child to help them cope with the demands of school - not just academically but socially and the sensory overload aspect as well.

I agree with Sweppes. My son is an ASD. Interestingly, he was reported to be rude from P3. I wonder why.

Also, started to help friend to beat student cos he say the friend is the only friend he has now in school.

With some teachers giving lip services to help, but later tell you they are too busy, you need to be prepared to get calls and requests to quit your job and support in school.

Given the high costs of living and the high fees for counselling, therapists and support for other siblings, unless we are very rich, how to support?

Sometimes I try recalling those olden days when we have mono stream friends who are often involve in such cases of fighting and rudeness. They go through P8 and later join the society. The principal and teachers are more passionate to let them at least complete their primary education before sending them out. Why is it that nowadays, they need to push the child to pathlight?

MOE wants to focus on character building but I often heard teachers saying they need to ensure the students get to do well in PSLE and some classmates could be mean to child. Shouldn't they be educating these children? What kind of character do they have? Just because they are not disruptive in class they get to stay?

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:50:12 GMT

windie — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:50:12 GMT

funkymonkey:

Hi windie,
My gal have Dyspraxia and learning difficulties.She is now 9 and is in Primary One. I \"declared\" her special needs,got her excempted from MT and got extra time for exams. She is happy in school and the teachers are understanding and helpful. I gave all the psychological reports, letters from ST,OT and Sped Teacher.We did the P1 readiness test/checklist and gave that to the school as well. I am very frank with my gal's abilities and the teachers and AED work closely with us. I can understand your stress...i was also super scared to send my gal to mainstream school as she's older than everyone else...but at the same time, we did not want to deny her the experience of \"school\".We promised her that if things get hard socially and she can't cope,we'll switch to homeschool...Which school you enrol in is super important and the most important is not to put too much stress on academics and stress your child.Be nice and understanding to the teacher,we always have to put ourselves in their shoes.Good luck to you!

Thanks funkymonkey. I have 2 letters - one from the OT and one from the Spec Ed Therapist which basically summarised his challenges and provided recommendations for him to cope better in school. I'm not sure when is the best time to share these letters with them and who i shd share it with (Principal/VP/Form teacher or Special Needs Head). Fortunately, the Orientation letter did indicate that we can go to the Pupil Devt Head if our child has special needs, so they will know how to help our child better. I hope that's a positive sign that they are more inclusive.

Any other experience/learnings is greatly appreciated

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:30:22 GMT

funkymonkey — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:30:22 GMT

windie:
For parents who have kids already in Mainstream Pri school, can you share what kind of documentations the school would require to support the child? This is really stressing me out

Hi windie,
My gal have Dyspraxia and learning difficulties.She is now 9 and is in Primary One. I \"declared\" her special needs,got her excempted from MT and got extra time for exams. She is happy in school and the teachers are understanding and helpful. I gave all the psychological reports, letters from ST,OT and Sped Teacher.We did the P1 readiness test/checklist and gave that to the school as well. I am very frank with my gal's abilities and the teachers and AED work closely with us. I can understand your stress...i was also super scared to send my gal to mainstream school as she's older than everyone else...but at the same time, we did not want to deny her the experience of \"school\".We promised her that if things get hard socially and she can't cope,we'll switch to homeschool...Which school you enrol in is super important and the most important is not to put too much stress on academics and stress your child.Be nice and understanding to the teacher,we always have to put ourselves in their shoes.Good luck to you!

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:10:40 GMT

schweppes — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:10:40 GMT

Will the child be unduly penalized if we inform the school?

Hmmm.... difficult to answer as it really depends on the school, support from Principal and personality of each individual teacher.

Some teachers are genuinely concerned and really want to help the child. They are willing to work with the parents to bring out the best in the child.

On the other hand, there are also teachers who are less than sympathetic. Guess, can't have everything. With such teachers, must handle with \"delicate\" care as we don't want to make them dislike the child more.

Having said that, it also depends on the temperament and personality of the child. If the child is violent, aggressive, rude, then no matter how saintly the teachers are, can be an uphill task to handle challenging kids as well. (don't forget, the poor teachers have 30 other kids to manage as well)

At the same time, we must also work on the special needs child to help them cope with the demands of school - not just academically but socially and the sensory overload aspect as well.

Not easy... but take one day at a time. And above all, like what I always say, celebrate the little victories in your child's life. Slowly... slowly... it will get better. And together we will triumph whatever challenges the child faces.

Above all... continue to :xedfingers: and

:hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:57:10 GMT

schweppes — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:57:10 GMT

With regards to exemption from mother tongue (MT)- not necessary to hasten to make this decision yet. Good to let the child try out MT. Who knows? the child might enjoy it and if you have a high functioning child, may not \"suffer\" from MT blues.

Give the child a chance to try it out. If he/she can cope, good. If the child is struggling, you have 5 years to think about it (till P5) and decide if you want your child exempted from MT at PSLE.

And if you think the child would be better off exempted, then get the psychologist/ therapist to write a report/ letter to MOE stating the reasons for exemption. At that time, you can also ask the therapist to include whatever special arrangements in that report or letter to MOE. This is prepared with the intention of PSLE in mind.

Please note that this exemption letter from MT has an expiry date as well. Sorry can't remember the period. I think the exemption letter is valid for 2 years (or is it 3??? can't remember). If it's more than the required time, MOE requires parents to submit another letter. Very troublesome and of course, more :moneyflies: :moneyflies: :moneyflies: as each exemption letter costs money. Nothing is free!! :slapshead: :stupid: :mad: :rant:

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:49:57 GMT

schweppes — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:49:57 GMT

windie:
For parents who have kids already in Mainstream Pri school, can you share what kind of documentations the school would require to support the child? This is really stressing me out

If you do not wish to declare (upon admission to P1), not necessary to submit any documents at this point to the school.

But if you choose to declare now or later, documents required by the school / MOE is usually the assessment made by either the therapist, educational psychologist or speech language therapist. If the assessment was made at Health Promo Board or Child Guidance Clinic or NUH, etc... then need to submit those reports as well.

If your child needs to be exempted from mother tongue, then the therapist or EP must mention/ state that in the assessment.

It would also be useful if the therapist or EP (or even the parent) provide a list of suggestions as to what the teachers/ school can do to help your child. (somewhat like strategies for helping the child cope in school)

If the parents choose to declare, you can share with the school / teachers what your child is like, so that the teachers know what to expect. Or arrange a meeting with the teachers/ school/ Allied Educator and your regular therapist, EP and yourself to come together for a conference on your child's needs. The therapist or EP projects a more professional view on your child's learning needs. (But of course must pay for the EP or therapist time if she makes a trip down to the sch :moneyflies: )

If you need to see the teachers/ VP - best time to go is in Nov (but BEFORE PSLE results.) Timing is critical as u want to catch the teachers/VP at the right time - after SA2 exams and before PSLE results. Alternatively, check with your EP or psychologist when is the best time for her to make a school visit (if need be)

Above all, treat the teachers and school as your partners as everyone works together in bringing out the best in the child. Never make demands - sure way to turn off the teachers and get them on the wrong side.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:13:46 GMT

stressedoutmummy — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:13:46 GMT

I am a mother of a teenage son diagnosed with mild ASD.

It was an ardous task getting him to cope with the stress of mainstream school. What made it worse was schools/teachers were not fully aware of ASD back then. It was only in recent years that there were more information on ASD. I had to wait 2 yrs to get an appointment with the Child Guidance Clinic for diagnosis on ASD, and that was also because the new principal noticed that my son was ‘different’ and the newly appointed Special Needs Officer (now known as AED) tasked to find out more about my son suspected that he is Autistic, and this is based on her personal experience with the ASD children from Pathlight. She approached the Senior councillor, who wrote a letter seeking CGC and with that letter, I tried to get an appointment to see the MO at CGC before they can refer for an ASD diagnosis.

How does the diagnosis helped my son? Well, when he took his first PSLE, there was no subject banding, so he was taking the same standards of subject with other normal kids. Of course he can’t cope, as he has problems with language. English per say was fine, but not in Maths, where he needs to be good in English and analyse the questions. He failed Maths, and had to repeat P6. Upon getting the diagnosis, we applied for special arrangements with MOE (through the school) and he was given extra time (not much but it helps somewhat) and a separate room to do the papers so that he is not distracted. It also helped that by then MOE introduced subject banding, so he was allowed to take foundation maths and science. He managed to pass sufficiently to go to NT, which I am still grateful at his achievements.

Even in Sec 2 now, the teachers are aware of his condition and will arrange for his classmates to look out for him so that he is not bullied. There is also a councillor who will have a session with him to find out if he is coping well. As for exams, he is still given extra time and isolated room for the exam, together with other students with special needs. It is still an uphill task for us, we still have to sit and study with him but we hope that in time, he will improve. The doctor at KKH also mentioned that if we need exemption for NS, we could approach them, maybe not full exemption, but considered for light duty and not combat type.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:14:17 GMT

windie — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:14:17 GMT

For parents who have kids already in Mainstream Pri school, can you share what kind of documentations the school would require to support the child? This is really stressing me out

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:32:46 GMT

pingsped — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:32:46 GMT

One of oldest former student is in 1st yr poly now. From what I understand from parents, there’s a psych assessment by MINDEF psych.

ASD is a developmental disability which is diagnosed in early childhood. Only children with Asperger may be diagnosed later as they usu hv no language delay (just difficulties w social use of lg).

Some parents tell me their friend’s sons do not get automatic exemption. They serve admin jobs. Not sure abt BMT. If u hv the necc paperwork fr 3 yr old, I suppose u can ‘suddenly’ declare child’s condition at 18 yr old. otherwise, MINDEF may not believe you, esp if your child looks very normal by then.

If u hv detailed report fr medical doc, esp govt or popular ones, it shld be good enough.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:50:52 GMT

Audvis — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:50:52 GMT

Hi pingsped, my boy is currently in mainstream K2. Teacher did not complain about him except that he is mischievious. There are no special accommodations or support given to him now. I intend to let him try taking Chinese first. If he really can’t cope with it later on, we will ask for exemption, but of course it means we hv to declare then.

Hi phtthp, I hv not thought abt NS as it seems so far away. My first priority is to get him well-settled into a mainstream school. Other worries can come later.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:19:40 GMT

phtthp — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:19:40 GMT

are special needs boys exempted from National Service (NS) in SG ?

if No, maybe before the time is up to serve NS - can write in years beforehand to appeal to relevant government authorities to attach son to join Cantonment Police force HQ for NS period to do 2 to 2.5 years light admin work, instead of being automatically routed to join Army & then get attached to Pulau Tekong for first 3 months initial, strenous & tough army training (eg: crawling under barbed wire, or carry a rifle and sleep at errie grave yard, on guard duty ) ?

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:15:00 GMT

pingsped — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:15:00 GMT

Audvis:
My boy is going to mainstream Pr 1 next year. He has high-functioning ASD. Would like to check with parents of special needs children - did u declare yr child's special need to the school/ MOE? If yes, what did the allied educator do to help yr child? What benefit did yr child get?

I am now struggling with this decision. On the one hand, I think it's better to declare to ensure he gets some support (of course, how gd the support is is another issue). On the other hand, I am concerned that by declaring, he will be \"blacklisted\" forever in MOE's database. Next time he will not be given opportunities due to his ASD, eg entry to a competitive course at University (assuming that he can make it till there). Also, some teachers may not be discreet. They may announce the child's ASD to the whole class and the chil suffers incessant bullying from the classmates as a result. I have spoken to some young ASD adults and they told me this was their experience.
Any experience to share?

Hi

These r the questions I will ask myself if I have a student with ASD going mainstream school:

What r your child's symptoms/behv? What kind of support/accommodation does he receive from kindergarten teachers? Will he require the same kind of support in primary school? What kind of kindergarten is he enrolled in? Does it prepare him for primary school STELLAR (a lot of floortime, small group discussion, reading aloud, etc)? Does he require exemption from taking Chinese?

If he doesn't require school support or language exemption, it is probably safe not to declare officially.

I have advised parents to declare & NOT declare based on the child's needs.
Sometimes, I will write a letter stating some symptoms eg sensory processing difficulties. To me, a child must show interest in peers (regular socialisation & playing) and able to accommodate peer request/demand sometimes, to be considered to have \"normalised\" or have mild ASD.

Some kids may daydream for months & not receive any help. It is very difficult to get the child to participate in class once everyone, incl teachers & classmates, is used to this behaviour.

In some schools like St Andrew's Jnr Sch, the AED will not offer regular support unless the child is diagnosed with ASD. I understand from some AEDs that the school is required to keep a special needs register for \"admin purpose\".

To me, it is advisable to declare at least \"special needs\" to lodge a record for National Service. ASD is a lifelong condition; NS is very tough even for regular kids. With early intervention & therapy, adults with ASD can probably work or have families but no therapy can prepare them for rigours of NS.

No AED will understand your child better than a parent. It would be helpful if a parent can volunteer his/her services in P1 to help ease the transition & help teacher manage any anxieties.

I think certain popular schools actually don't like parents to volunteer/help out in classrooms. Some neighbourhood primary schools welcome parents to coach/read to slow learners in upper primary. Volunteering gives parents a reason to hang around and get to know teachers, classmates, canteen vendors, etc. Teachers are usually kinder to the kids cos they know parents personally. Parents will have to exercise their social networking skills :celebrate:

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:28:18 GMT

allamanda — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:28:18 GMT

mum02:
My kid is mildly ADHD i think.

I told the teachers of my suspicion so that they know how to handle him.
But I did not get it checked.
All the symptoms are pointing towards ADHD.

For my son's case, we thought he is ADHD, but he was diagnosed as ASD.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:09:09 GMT

Audvis — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:09:09 GMT

I understand where the school is coming from. I guess parents hv to be realistic as well, if the child can’t cope in mainstream school even with support, they shd transfer the child to special school even though the mainstream sch doesn’t practise retention.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:01:42 GMT

mum02 — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:01:42 GMT

I do not agree that there will be no stigma.

I have a friend whose child is in a "brand-name" school. She informed her teacher about it and the teachers started to discuss among themselves about this child. This child had quite a difficult time…
So she advised me not to declare officially.
However, if the teacher is understanding, it is good to let the teacher know on a private basis.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:35:42 GMT

MandyMummy — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:35:42 GMT

I understand your concern. I guess for PSLE, you will have a tough decision to make. Annotation on certificate VS compromising the T-score (assuming if that's the case).

Anyway you have about 6 years to decide if you want to apply for special consideration. Maybe his condition will improve by then.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:18:41 GMT

phtthp — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:18:41 GMT

It’s a Christian mission school, and they do emphasize on character building as well. Just that it is sad that not all classmates can accept him, although there’re some boys who did. Sad but unfortunately, this is the harsh reality of life. For his case, his behavior is obvious to everybody. So whether declare or don’t declare not important, because his behavior in class says it all. Time will tell.

i) understand from a teacher’s view point …
in a real classroom teaching situation - during lessons, if he wants to go toilet and pee, the subject teacher had to stop & pause where she is teaching at the moment, get another boy classmate to accompany and follow him go toilet. Because teacher scared that after going toilet, he may run off somewhere else to play when he got mood swings refuse to return back to the classroom to continue study. The teacher came up with a duty roster to rotate. Different day of the week, different classmate(s) accompany him go toilet. If the boy goes missing in school, the teacher will get into serious trouble as she is held accountable, because the boys’ parents will come after her and question her, "My son was in your class but he’d gone missing. So, Where is he now ? What happen ? ". Thus, teacher had to wait for both he and his classmate to return classroom safely, before proceed to teach and carry on from where she had paused and left off. The teacher just cannot continue to teach while the 2 boys go to toilet, because it is not fair to the other boy who accompany him on goodwill go toilet, and missed out listening to the teacher’s explaination. Hence, all lessons had to pause and stop until they both come back safely.

ii) from school’s view point
at P1, he failed all language subjects (English, Chinese), and passed only Maths one subject. The school doesn’t practise retention at P1 to repeat P1, so school automatically push him up to P2. Same thing happened in P2 - also push up.

Reply to special Needs- to declare or not declare? on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:01:29 GMT

Audvis — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:01:29 GMT

I think the certificate will not be annonated as long as the special arrangement is quite minor, ie not asking for extra time. Eg MOE told me no annotation for asking for bigger font in exam paper, for those with visual impairments.

It is very sad right, those boys in that prominent boys school who are future leaders of the country, bullying the disadvantaged segments of the population. I think MOE’s push to focus on values and character is a step in the right direction.