Area of Focus: Education
Partnership agency: Young Women’s Christian Association
“Children, it is story time. Let’s all sit down.” The four-year old tots made their way to the front of the classroom, where colourful story boards have been set up…all except one little girl, who remained in her seat, seemingly oblivious to what was happening around her. This child is one with special needs.
She is a hapless victim of an education system with a one-method-fits-all focus. She needs help to be integrated and included in the classroom, and in life.
The ‘Yes U Can…Be Included’ programme is a joint initiative by The Lien Foundation and the Educational Support Unit (ESU) of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) which targets kids with mild learning disabilities, like this little girl. It creates a conducive environment within mainstream childcare centres and kindergartens where special needs pupils are appropriately supported according to their individual needs.
With intervention in an early childhood setting, these children with special needs can be better armed with fundamental skills to adapt to the dynamic and challenging surrounding of their next phase of learning and education.
‘Yes U Can…Be Included’ fits in well with the Foundation’s model of radical philanthropy – where assistance is provided to those who are marginalised, who slip through the ‘attention cracks’ of other organisations. The programme also addresses the issue at source.
Currently, services for developmental and educational support for pre-school children are provided largely by voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, with active support from other government agencies and private enterprises¹. But there is no legislation governing the provision of customised services for children with special needs – even though research shows that early intervention and prevention within a pre-school setting is ideal.
Even though learning disabilities afflict some five to 10 per cent of school-going children in Singapore², efforts by the government are administered only at the primary and secondary school levels, not before they enter school.
The YWCA, which runs 11 childcare centres and kindergartens, first mooted the idea of a separate unit to look after the diverse needs of children with mild learning disabilities as early as 2002, though it was officially launched only in September 2005.
Today, the ESU department “comprises educational consultants, psychologists, learning support coordinators, learning support teachers (LST), teacher assistants and teacher aids to support and integrate children with learning disabilities, and facilitate their entry into mainstream primary schools,” says Renu Winson, administrator of the Unit which supports all the 11 childcare centres and kindergartens.
“Special needs pupils are sometimes referred to us by hospitals such as KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, others are ‘discovered’ by our school principals – who are all trained to spot kids who require additional help,” says Leung Yee Ping, executive director, YWCA. “We also have parents who bring their children in for psychological assessment.”
Little Seann Yeo³ is one child who benefited from the programme. Brought into the ESU by his parents when he stopped talking and became withdrawn and moody, he was admitted into the ESU’s Initial Educational Plan (IEP) after an assessment by the Unit’s psychologist.
The IEP is a pupil-specific education plan designed with input from the psychologist, LST, school principal and parents. He was then officially diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder, a neurological disorder which affects his ability to communicate, understand language, play and interact with others.
By that time, the benefits of early intervention were already evident. In an interview with Family (Jan 2006) magazine, his mother was quoted as saying the boy had “improved by leaps and bounds…he is even prepared to initiate communication”. Little Seann could “follow instructions better” and was also “able to participate in many class activities”. She added, “I am confident that Seann will have a better chance to have a mainstream education, adapt socially and go on to lead an independent and fruitful life. What more could a mother want for her child?”
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