http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2011/11/29/autism-therapy-peers/14528/

helplessmum3:

Really promoting ASD to go special needs school.. Maybe it's really a best fit..

In fact, most of the publication or educational material tried to 'promote' special need school. I also got the impression that the materials imply that parents who insist for their kids to be in mainstream are either in denial of their kids condition or too concern about the 'face value' and are doing more harm to our kids then helping them. This is something which I'm not happy about.

Actually, there is no perfect choice for our kids. If I have sent him to special school, the curriculum/teaching method will suit to his needs and he may learn better. The school may also take care of other needs like OT, good work habit and self help skill. I also don't have to worry about potential school bully or problem like being socially awkward. However, one thing which I think special school will have difficulty in providing i.e to learn to integrate into world of NT and learn to deal with others who might not understand his condition. I think we cannot just beg people to understand or show empathy to our kids condition, our kids do have to learn what is accepted by the NT and make effort to fit in.
I wish there is a Pathlight in every single mainstream schools rather then having all kids on the spectrum in one school,separated from other kids. Since this is not possible, we just have weigh the pros and cons and make the decision. We do understand that when we made the choice for mainstream, we, as parent or caregiver, must put in lots of effort to source for additional help (like OT, SLT, behavior management etc outside schools) in order to help him to cope with school

Saw from Shin Min daily that a boy from Pathlight scored very good marks for PSLE. Despite difficulties, it is still possible for special need kids to excel. This is certainly a great motivator for us and hopefully our children…

phtthp:

specialboymum:

Later during a parent workshop organized by KKH and NUH, a senior psychologist from KKH advise me not to base on a single assessment outcomes to determine what to do for my son- I have to talk to his therapists, school teachers and also based on my own judgement on his ability. The psychologist (I think his surname is Chua) also said I should not be worried about making wrong decision because whatever decision I made for him will be the best decision at the point of time. I'm grateful for his kind advice. So far, we have not regret on our decision not to follow what the psychological report's recommendation. He is making good progression despite having still several challenges in mainstream school.

what is this full name of this psychologist Chua ?
can't find it here.

http://www.kkh.com.sg/SERVICES/WOMEN/PSYCHOLOGICALMEDICINE/Pages/Home.aspx

I also cannot remember his full name but I do recall his name got a \"mui\" or \"mei\" in it (quite unique for a guy's name)

Gifts from Heaven:

Actually, if kid doesnt cooperate during the test, psychologist is supposed to extend the time taken to conduct the test. The IQ test doesn't take 3 hours. It is the autism assessment that takes approximately 3 hours, and this components of this test can be taken on separate days so that the kid is not so stressed.

Mine also didn't cooperate during the assessment, partly because he was having flu. Based on the outcomes of the test, the psychologist actually suggested that I placed him in Chaoyang. When I got back home to check on the Chaoyang program, I realise something not quite right because the program doesn't seems to match with his ability. When I was about to seek 2nd opinion, the psychologist called to inform me she made a mistake in calculating the marks-based on the test results, he could qualify for Pathlight school, however she added that she doesn't think he will make it pass the Pathlight interview based on his performance during the assessment.

Later during a parent workshop organized by KKH and NUH, a senior psychologist from KKH advise me not to base on a single assessment outcomes to determine what to do for my son- I have to talk to his therapists, school teachers and also based on my own judgement on his ability. The psychologist (I think his surname is Chua) also said I should not be worried about making wrong decision because whatever decision I made for him will be the best decision at the point of time. I'm grateful for his kind advice. So far, we have not regret on our decision not to follow what the psychological report's recommendation. He is making good progression despite having still several challenges in mainstream school.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ejpWWP1HNGQ

nugget:

My boy going P1 in 2014. Good to go and listen if I can make it.

Can always go to listen and pick up some tips to be better prepared when the time comes.
AWWA often organize talks like this-> also another resource for information on how to help our kids

Just came across this on my facebook page. AWWA is organizing a workshop which might be helpful to us


Upcoming Workshop: \"Opportunities, Challenges & How To Support Children and Young People with ASD in Mainstream Schools\"

Target: Parents/caregivers of 6-18 year old children with autism, ASD, AS or PDD-NOS who attend mainstream schools

This is an opportunity for parents/caregivers to learn more about the opportunities and challenges of mainstream education for children and youth with ASD. We will also think about what families can do to support their children with ASD in mainstream schools.

During the workshop, parents are encouraged to share/discuss the social, academic, practical & developmental/transitional challenges facing their child with ASD attending mainstream schools. At the end of the workshop, the speaker will invite parents to participate in a 30-minute survey, which is part of an on-going nationwide research project. Their participation is entirely voluntary. Upon completing the survey, they will be reimbursed with an NTUC S$10 voucher as a form of thank you for their time.

Speaker:
Dr. Iliana Magiati is a chartered clinical psychologist and currently Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore. She completed her doctoral training in clinical psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. Prior to her clinical training, she completed a Ph.D. at St George's Hospital Medical School in early interventions for children with autism. She has specific knowledge of and experience in the assessment, diagnosis and intervention of children and young people with ASD and other developmental and learning difficulties. She is currently working on a number of research projects on screening and diagnosis of ASD; autistic characteristics and their relationship with anxiety difficulties; parental perspectives on the presentation and impact of anxiety in individuals with ASD; long term outcomes in individuals with ASD; anxiety and depression in school-aged Singaporean children. She is a member of the NUS Clinical Psychology Faculty and supervises postgraduate clinical psychology interns on their clinical placement.

Date: 24th November 2012, Saturday

Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
(*Registration starts at 9:30am)

Venue: Resource Centre, Level 3
11 Lorong Napiri,
Singapore 547532

You may call us at 65115310/12 or email us at [email protected] to register.
*Confirmation of registration will be via email.

Great job mummies!!

The way to deal with our kids, is to be patient… certain tasks may take them longer time to master them, but eventually they will learn to do it.

Re: labelling,

I’m also one of those parent who refuse labelling for our kid. I’m not denying that my kid is different from others and he needs additional help to learn. However, I don’t like the fact that once we have the label on him, everything he does will be view through the lense call ‘autism’ and people tend to forget he is also a child.
I’m not sure if many of you experience this…I wanted to sign him up for enrichment classes and even some religious school, but once I mention my child’s condition (I thought to be open upfront so that they won’t be caught in a surprise), the reply I got is ‘sorry, we are not trained in handling such kids, we suggest you try somewhere else’…they don’t even let him try and certainly not even giving me the opportunity to explain that he is not disruptive in class.
Now, I don’t disclose his condition when I sign him up for class but also got problem lah. Just like recently, I sign him up for martial art class. Due to his poor motor planning, he couldn’t follow many action, which other kids could do so easily. The coach wasn’t happy, I have to beg him to continue let him stay in the group and reassure him it doesn’t matter to us if he is slow and having difficulty following, and it is perfectly ok not to give him extra attention as he also need to be fair to other students, what I hope for is just the opportunity for him to be in a group and do some form of physical exercise.

nugget:

mashy:

Breaking news


http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/parents-special-needs-children-get-more-guidance-20121102

Thats good news. I hope there will be more awareness to help to integrate special needs kids in mainstream. Special needs children are still very stigmatized in the society.

That is my thought too..
I felt that the approach for the support of special need education should be \"integrative\" and not \"segregative\" . More support should be given to the AED in schools to better help the special needs in mainstream.

Well, it is true that having a special school with curriculum that tailor made to our special kids will allow them to learn and strive better, however, if we hope they can be independent and earn decent living on their own, they will have to interact with others. Housing them in the same building and not giving them the chance to interact with the NTs will not help.
Having special needs kids in the same environment isn't a bad thing for NTs too, they will naturally learn to accept the special needs kids as their peers, hence when they grow up, the social stigma we are seeing now will likely not exist. I know there is some existing program which allows children from mainstream school to visit special schools, but that is so \"orchestrated\". Honestly, I don't know how a 2 hours visit will help the NT child to understand, empathize and fully accept somebody different from them...