All About Autism

[scang]

Couragemom:

Hi tyeogh,


Withdrawal from eipic may not be a bad time as you mentioned that your darling son has made tremendous improvement for the past year. Perhaps you want to consider joining a private social class if you are worried?

$700 for 6hrs of eipic means $100+/hr which is pretty steep for a group setting.

It should be $700 for 50hrs of eipic per month, or 12.5hrs per week for AWWA.
So it is actually $14/hr.

For $100+/hr, that is the rates of the private centres, and normally, only the higher income households or the rich households can afford those.

[tyeogh]

Its BS. AWWA raised the fees to $1,530 a month. I get $500 plus $250 other subsidies. With GST, net cost became $830. Then they wrote that they recognize parents will incur additional cost so they are holding off the increase till end 2015 and will charge $700 instead. Which is still $200 higher than what I paid in 2014 for the same 3 day program with the same subsidy! I didnt get into another income bracket overnight (not that I know of unless wife is hiding money).


This type of tactics I also know. Instead of charging you $5 for a burger, I raise it to $20, then discount it to $10 and proclaim out of goodwill, I will hold off this increase and charge you $7 instead so please thank me on your way out.

Their premise is owned, not rented. Same teacher student ratio. So where did the increase come from? Teachers got 40% pay rise?

Sounds like the MRT story. Somebody is missing profits KPI.

[tyeogh]

phtthp:

Government, beg you to pls do something to the situation, to help autistic parents plus children

Someone answered your request. They kicked the MSF Minister out. Haha!

[Couragemom]

Hi Scang,


I beg your pardon for my poor Maths skill! I was offered 6hrs eipic on a weekly basis, not monthly. Yes, $150+/hr is the going rate for private therapy session.

[totalstranger]

Hi tyeogh.


Are you going to withdraw you child from the EIPIC program of AWWA? Have you contacted other EIPIC centers e.g. Rainbow to see if they can offer an early intervention program at a more affordable price?

Is you child a high functioned ASD? Is he/she verbal? Does he/she have behavioral problem? If without early intervention, can he/she adapt to the mainstream school life when he/she reaches 6 years old?

[belachanbabe]

Totalstranger, it’s not so easy to switch EIPIC programs because all Govt subsidised ones have year long waiting lists. Parents really have no choice but to go private and kena ker tok $$$. Also logistics wise, these EIPIC programs only run 2-3 times a week for a couple of hours. For the dual income family, means your child also has to go to a kindy for the rest of the time, double whammy. Less intervention means more parental involvement which from personal experience, puts mental strain the marital and family relationships.


Poor Tyeogh. Heart really goes out to you and the frustration you must feel. All parents want the best for their kids wor.

40% increase is criminal but not unheard of unfortunately. My boy’s schoolbus fees increased from $270 to $320 this year but bo pian as that is only bus plying the desired route. With his PL fees of $420 per mth plus after school care with intervention of $950 (no subsidy as it is private). That’s $1.690 just to go to school not counting enrichment or tuition. Here I thought going to primary school would be cheaper than his early intervention years.

This is only for one boy. And before you all ask, there are not many after school programs for primary school years and above with learning intervention in Singapore. That’s why they dare to charge such fees. (Business idea though)

There has been many articles recently on Singaporeans sense of entitlement. However, this area certainly warrants more examination to help ease the financial burdens of the middle class sandwich generation who is not poor enough to get assistance and not rich enough to provide necessary support

[tyeogh]

Belachanbabe,

Is there a button I can triple Like your post?

[tyeogh]

Hi totalstranger,

I withdrew him from AWWA EIPIC. We are serving 1 month notice so DS is still going. I did not contact any other EIPIC centres for reasons belachanbabe mentioned. I also chose to heed DoubleE’s advice to replace it with other academic classes.

My child is high functioning (I hate this term because what does it make a child who is low functioning?! Ridiculous)

He was only verbal at 3.5 y.o. He does not have major behavioural problems but is not perfectly normal either. He has a very strong will. Too intensely focused on anything he sets his mind to. That is all I can sum up when I compare him to normal kids. His other behaviours seem normal. Just maybe a little more childish too?

A month ago, I brought him for his 2nd ASD test at NUH. The assessing child psychiatrist also opined he is an odd one. Neither here nor there. I will get her formal diagnosis in Feb.

"If without early intervention, can he/she adapt to the mainstream school life when he/she reaches 6 years old?"

I don’t know. I am gambling.

[pinkamoon]

Hi all! I guess sonrise does not interest anyone. It's okay.


Back to the 砍菜头issue. My story is :

When my son got into EIPIC Centre, the centre manager was kind to offer me the contacts of a bus company as I was working. The bus company 狮子大开口, quoted me $400 for 2 way communication 3x a week!!!! When I turned down the offer, he countered off $300! :yikes:

Anyway, I ended up giving my mil $30 taxi fare per week, only $5 per trip. Taking buses cost even lower, just that my mil could not control my son then.

[seoulover]

Hi tyeogh


My DD is due to enter EIPIC. Agree on the long waiting list of the various VWOs. As AWWA has a shorter waiting time, I’ve opted for AWWA. Didn’t know about the price increase (since I’m new), but I did a quick calculation of the costs of the various centres I’m keen on n realized that AWWA has the highest per hourly cost, in fact, higher than some private centres. Now I know why.

Mind sharing with me your opinion on AWWA’s EIPIC? Did u feel EIPIC is helpful for your DS? Did the teachers n therapists there help him to talk eventually? Or did u go for some private speech therapy? My DD is 2.5 years old n still not really talking.

And btw, if u live in the east, you may consider kids cove. I’m not sure if there’s vacancy but do call and ask. The monthly cost is cheaper (after subsidy) but they do not have in-house therapists all the time. And u have to top up for 1 to 1 therapy.

TIA!