special needs schools

[Abby Collett]

Hi everyone

A bit of advice really. I have two sons 4 years and 17 months. They both have special needs. My eldest can go to a main stream school (as he is now) but needs some extra help as he has mild Autism. My youngest has Global Developmental Delay and Hypotonia which means that he may need a special school at 3 years. I was wandering if anyone new how good Dover Court School was as it has a special needs section? Also I have been looking at the rainbow centre. We will not be out until end 2009 but I understand there are long waiting lists. I have read so much and can see that people are very keen on United World. I am British myself but living in france so my eldest goes to an International School here but Singapore seems to offer more choice which makes things confusing.

Also, where is good to live? East or west? I want to be near other expats but education is the most important thing at the moment.

Also, how much do cleaners charge roughly per hour? Not sure if we will have room for a live in maid.

Any advice would be great.

Thanks

[micknlea]

Dover Court is OK, it all depends on your specific needs, most of the children who require special needs go into individual needs classes, but integrate for some subjects. Some people I know think it is great for their kids, others have had huge problems with it and taken their children out. Their administration is very staid and old fashioned and in a lot of ways so are their techniques. Not running them down just stating facts.
There is also the Genesis School, which is fairly small and caters for children with a variety of special needs, but is not a mainstream school at all. It does have a very caring and attentive teaching body though.
You could also try the Zee School, it is only a small school, and only takes up to age 10, which mainly caters to children who have problems immediately integrating with mainstream classes. Again lovely caring place.
A lot of the International Schools have special needs people working there, and may allow you to enter and use teachers aides with your child to help them blend in. this may be a good idea for your eldest. It is well worth contacting the different schools to assess their reaction and also their attitude to teachers aides etc.
Good luck in your search, it is never easy moving with special needs kids, but there are quite a few of us here in the same boat!

[Abby Collett]

Thanks for that advice. The Zee School looks really great and I think I will consider that for my youngest. I think I would like to keep my eldest in main stream. However, it looks as though the Zee School only take from 5 years old so i will maybe consider the Rainbow Centre for 2 years. I need somewhere that offers OT. PT, ST etc on site.

Thanks again

[micknlea]

I think perhaps it is worth contacting the Zee School, they also have Zee Juniors which is for age 16months to 5 years old. They are two seperate small schools but not far away from each other. Each has on site facilities like you are looking for.

[Abby Collett]

Thanks

Zee Juniors is just what I am looking for.

[missymei]

Zee school is a great place to start off your child if he has global issues that needs to be addressed. It however does not have any ST or any other therapists on site, only OT. The only setback they have is, they can't seem to keep their Special Needs Teacher for long term. This could pose as a serious problem if your child needs routine.

[yaya83]

hi abby

i wish to noe more abt yr 2nd child who is coming to 3 yr old.. wat is his developmental milestone like now.. why is he diagnosed with developmental delay and hypotonia..

i have a gal who is coming to 3 yr old too.. doc also has diagnosed her wif as such. doc even refered to rainbow last yr but i didnt enrol her in.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Yaya,

You might try writing in English and not that simpleton sms'ese garbage. If you have bothered to read the thread you will note that all are writing in English. Give it a try. Otherwise, while we know better, someone might just think that your child just takes after you because it appears that you have a learning disability when writing like that.

[timminbuzz]

hi abby...

i happen to be an autism therapist cum psychologist who works with children with autism in the mainstream environment. if you need more info regarding this area, just pm me. would be glad to be of any help.

[prettygems]

Hi Abby, I am a regression therapist and has some success with autistic kids, and has helped patients with strange and conventional illnesses. However, I need to conduct the therapy on the parents, not the children. I am doing this for free as long as the parents are committed themselves.
My wife specializes in Moral education, and our 5 year old daughter is very much different in terms of behaviour compared with other kids.

edited by mod to remove solicitation.

[lamp]

Hi Abby,
To answer the other questions of yours, it's probably better to stay nearer to the school which you intend to enrol your son in.
If you are thinking of Zee school, the East is where you want to consider.

On cleaning charges, the market rate is between S$12-$15 an hour (for a minimum of 3 hours). It is quite common to pay S$50-$60 for a 4 hours cleaning session.

[yaya83]

[quote="sundaymorningstaple"]Yaya,

You might try writing in English and not that simpleton sms'ese garbage. If you have bothered to read the thread you will note that all are writing in English. Give it a try. Otherwise, while we know better, someone might just think that your child just takes after you because it appears that you have a learning disability when writing like that.[/quote]

hi moderator,

i apologize for my sms garbage. i was in a hurry to type out the question.


hi abby

i wish to know more about yr second child who is coming to 3 years old.. what is his developmental milestone like now.. why is he diagnosed with developmental delay and hypotonia..

anyone here has any comments about kits4kids school? they have a branch in toa payoh.

anyone else with kids with developmental delay or any teachers here has experience with GDD kids?

i hope my english is fine this time. do let me know if it is not right. thank you and sorry once again.