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Quick update : Was unable to update website since June. long story - computer problems, both software & hardware. Will update within this month. I'm in the midst of re-formatting files. Pls bear with the messy layout. San Yu Adventist School has been calling me to remove the school from pte sch list. My apologies – They wish to clarify that their school takes in mainly foreign students. They do not wish to have to repeat this to parents - they do not have facilities to help students with special needs,inclusive of dyslexia. Well, they are sincere in not wanting to mislead any parent. There are centres/schools which take in students without providing any help. After a couple of months or years, I guess the students drop out naturally. In most cases, I think national schools provide more support than private centres. Pls ASK around. |
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about me. . . I'm Liew Ping. I started this website as a public education service as there was a dearth of information in 1990s. Now there is more awareness on the part of parents and teachers but there is also more confusion. I hope to share more information & some teaching tips. I work in PING! Special Education which caters to children with special learning need. It is located at #02-05 North Bridge Ctr. Click here for more info. I have worked as a psychologist and educational therapist for children and adults with intellectual, learning and/or physical disabilities for the past 9 years. Every year, I try to undertake a community project. I'm not volunteering at any VWO at the moment. I take in a limited number of children from low-income families at my centre. Each treatment lasts for 3 - 6 mth. Baby bonus? When ?? Well, enjoy life as it is now. If you like to know more about me or if you have anything you'd like to add or correct, please e-mail me. If you're Christian and in Sped, I'd love to hear from you ! For
more information about Singapore, visit this site
my thoughts on
I don't get many emails from parents. In fact, I have received about 11 since starting this website; out of which, some were from concerned family friends. I hope the lack of queries is not because these children have been written off by their families and society. One cannot help but wonder about the lack of interest. I hope to share more information & teaching tips with parents & special ed teachers. Having worked with both children and adult populations, it is very important for children to be included in the community as much as possible. Employment prospects are poor if children with intellectual disabilities can't socialise well. Early intervention (esp in language and social skills) and family support are important predictors for successful integration of persons with intellectual disabilities.
There is more awareness now. With increased demand, supply, both good & bad, has also increased correspondingly. Some therapists have "holier-than-thou" attitudes; in their eyes, teachers and alternative service providers are incompetent. Some therapists have no qualms doing alternative activities during therapy despite charging exorbitant fees. Some therapists spend more time talking to parents than working on the child. Some therapists have a cavalier attitude towards labelling kids. Some therapists & doctors make questionable diagnoses and mis-use terms. Some therapists and businesses market expensive programs. Some parents-turned-tutors & teachers-turned-businesspersons oversell their capabilities. Some VWOs charge private-sector rates & use coercive "persuasion". Some businesses do not provide any specialised service despite levying fees. There is a lot of conflicting advice, treatment methods & debate in research. It is in the parents' & child's interests that parents remain rational. Many parents make unwise decisions in desperation. Each family has its own values and limited resources. Parents should consider whether the therapist/teacher/tutor is able to meet your child's needs within a specific time frame. Click here for Home Programme (children below 6-7 years old). Click here for guidelines on Intervention Outcomes & Learning Profiles of Children with intellectual disabilities. To justify their worth in economic terms
Children with involved parents, especially those with severe disabilities, tend to have better long-term outcomes. Parents who are unable to manage their emotions, stress and expectations have more difficulties helping their children. They are more likely to worry excessively (6 - 8 hrs daily) and may become overly defensive or aggressive. Sometimes, they transfer the stress to other persons. They are also vulnerable to sales pitches. If a parent needs help or counselling, call Spore Assn for Mental Health or the nearest Family Service Ctr. Advice from other parents in Parent Support Groups can be helpful & unhelpful. It is in their children's interest that parents stay calm & be discerning.
What's in a definition? Did you know that the solar system now has eight planets because greater powers have decreed that Pluto is a dwarf planet? Due to differences in training, some terms mean different things to different professionals. I will illustrate briefly a) A child with mild intellectual disability may have reading difficulties. He has visual and auditory processing difficulties but not dyslexia, as dyslexia is defined as a developmental reading disability associated with normal intelligence. b) Many young children with limited speech often present challenging behaviours. A child who was previously diagnosed as having mild autism but shows no signs of residual autistic behaviours after undergoing social skills training or alternative treatment, is probably mis-diagnosed in the first place. He wasn't cured. (comment: define residual autistic behaviours) c) Intervention outcomes for children with intellectual disabilities and learning disabilities are different. It may be politically correct to use the term, learning disabilities. However, doing so will create problems in intervention efficacy as the term also refers to subtypes such as dyslexia. Think of flu-like symptoms. On Day 1, no one can tell confidently – are the symptoms caused by SARS, dengue, bird flu or simply flu ? In the absence of a definitive test like DNA test, the question would be : can we defer aggressive treatment till day 3 or later? It would be costly to do DNA testing for every patient. It is a long long story. Pls do your own due diligence. I raised this point to illustrate the case with autism. When I am unsure, I simply say I don't know. I think it's better to admit one's own limitations than make a mistake with the diagnosis. Asperger syndrome, nerds or whatever? What are acceptable levels of “nerdiness” so that one does not get classified as having Asperger syndrome ? If some twenty percent of the population (in particular, the IT, accounting, engineering & law folks) exhibit poor social skills, can we still call it a disorder? I'll wait out the PhD fights. In academia (aka PhD fights), it is important to define terms clearly & measure results accordingly. I have certain assumptions before planning an intervention. It can be very difficult explaining myself to some parents. Laypersons tend to use these terms to put shackles on themselves.
Psychology 101 What is normal and abnormal? Have you watched X-Men 3? A vaccine for mutants? The question is : do we want to make them like everyone else?
Like many therapists, I like to be successful. Some take in only kids with at least average IQ or strong language abilities. I only take in kids whose parents whom I can relate to. (Define : success. Hint: I go by functional ability & happiness) Just to let you know, I do take in gifted kids. It is quite fun & different advice for parents : A child with intellectual disabilities is able to learn, take care of himself & perform simple chores around the house. So please encourage responsible and independent behaviour. Have some expectations, but be realistic. I have taught reading & arithmetic skills to many children with Down syndrome. One child with exceptionally good rote memory even mastered long division. Most can learn to read & write though proficiency levels may not surpass Pri 1 - 3 levels. long-term goals for therapy : functional academics, appropriate social behaviour & independence in daily living skills at home, school & community
Most children with mild to moderate learning disabilities can cope with normal tuition. They struggle quite hard and are usually obtain Band 2 or 3 grades. They are likely to benefit from 1:1 tutoring. It is important to get someone who is able to motivate & relate to the child. The tutor should have at least B grades in English & Math. Undergraduates with good CCA records are likely to be mature and creative in teaching. For children with severe learning disabilities or ADHD, they are likely to require specialised help. This group of children often fail exams from Primary 2 onwards. It is important to get help early. (See Matthew effect)
If a child has language difficulties, it may be prudent to request for non-verbal assessments such as Leiter International Progressive Scale (LIPS). If a child has visual processing difficulties due to medical conditions such as nystagmus, it may be prudent to request the psychologist to make special accommodation during testing. Preschool children with severe communication disorders and difficult behaviours should undergo 3 - 6 months' intervention before undergoing psychological assessments. Otherwise, psychological assessments may yield results that underestimate the child's ability and potential.
When we read, we use a combination of sight-word recognition, phonological and prediction strategies. If left untreated, a dyslexic child may also have deficits in vocabulary acquisition as he is unable to process texts for information. As he grows older, he experiences increasing difficulty in processing longer and harder texts. With a weak vocabulary, he is unable to use background knowledge to compensate or fill gaps when processing for meaning in reading. A vicious cycle is then formed. This is known as the Matthew effect. It becomes very difficult to overcome this gap as the child grows older. Hence it is important to get timely help or early intervention. Psychological tests may yield results that underestimate the child's ability and potential.
Read this speech by Dr Peter Chen on Institutes of Technical Education (ITEs) Things are looking up for students in the Normal Technical stream. Read this ! MOE Press Release : Review of the Normal (Technical) course dated 29 Sep 2004
Sensory disorders can impact a child's ability to learn and interact with peers and teachers. Occupational Therapy provides ways to teach children how to regulate themselves and respond to their environment more effectively. It's COMMON to have mild sensory issues, e.g. some people can't stand linen or wool as they find the material prickly. Unless it interferes with a person's daily functioning, it may not be necessary to undergo therapy, especially in the light of many other needs (educational & social-emotional). Parents have to learn to prioritise needs. A child with dyspraxia may also have a learning disability. Learning difficulties and sensory deficits have to be treated differently. It is unusual for a child to master Math concepts while doing gym exercises. If it appears so, the likely mechanism is that the child has mild learning difficulties & gym makes him feel good and "in-touch"; he becomes motivated and learns to compensate for his difficulties. As his learning difficulties are mild, self-management or regular tutoring would suffice. A child with moderate to severe learning difficulties would need special instruction to learn effectively. Therapies in other areas are unlikely to help in learning.
The rising trends of "city" diseases such as diabetes & asthma, is not due to poisoning per se. Allergies are becoming more common. Incidences of autism and learning disabilities appear to be rising. To cut a long story short, it's about statistics & interaction of genetic & environmental factors. Can you understand this logic behind this sentence - older women are more likely to have a child with chromosomnal disorders such as Down syndrome but there are more younger mothers who have children with chromosomnal disorders? It's unlikely for a Singaporean to suffer from heavy metal poisoning. Consider the fact that most families share the same diet and use the same products; by extension, the whole family should be similarly affected. Be wary of persons who claim a child has "heavy metal content" in his blood or hair analysis samples and is therefore "poisoned" & consequently has developmentally delays or attention difficulties. Every child has different nutritional needs. Some may have slight nutritional deficiencies as opposed to being "poisoned". Some food supplements may be helpful for a period of time. These supplements may help in overall levels of alertness and physical well-being. I usually see improved performance due to better attention and health but they usually do not lead to improved cognitive functioning. This means such performance has been previously observed but performance was inconsistent. Adult users of nutritional supplements report better health; there is no improvement in intelligence or direct effects in other areas. Indeed it would sound incredible to any adult if the seller promises him better job performance or prospects after consuming such supplements. For that matter, only fortune tellers and the like would make such claims. Of course, a young child's nutritional needs are different, but a young Singaporean is unlikely to suffer severe nutritional deficiencies such that physical and cognitive development are affected. According to a UN report, famines over a prolonged period may shave a few points off intelligence scores. In other words, the kind of nutritional deficiencies found in Singapore is unlikely to result in lower intelligence. Food allergies "work" in a similar way. A child's performance is worse compared with his normal behaviour when his body reacts to certain foods. Otherwise he should be back to his normal self. Put simply, when someone is unwell, there is a dip in his performance. Having said that, it is difficult to assess the intelligence of a child with attention-deficit-hyperactive-disorder as his normal state resembles a "frazzled" state of mind. Such children usually respond well to prescription medication such as Ritalin but there are possible side effects. Medication will help if the child only has attention issues; it will not help if there is another diagnosis such as learning or intellectual disability. There are children who have food allergies but do not experience any learning difficulties. There are special drugs or "supplements" which do help in cognitive (brain) function. Some parents may have been using such products without being informed by sellers of "wonder" supplements. They usually overpay for such drugs/treatment. In Singapore, these drugs are available by prescription only. They are seldom sold over the counter at pharmacies. ****** I have quite a few medical conditions. I don't object to alternative therapies in principal as I do try some of them. But they should be used to augment traditional therapies, not used exclusively. |
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retrospection Thanks for telling me about outdated links and upcoming events. It saved me a lot of time. Thanks for words of encouragement. In 2001, I wrote that I was getting over a friend's death. Now I'm back on my feet, ready to move on ! Keep writing though my replies can be quite quite late sometimes. And some emails end up in the spam folder. So if you don't get a reply within 2 weeks, pls re-send your email.
ã 1998-2006 Liew Ping |
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