SPECIAL NEEDS OFFICERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

SPECIAL NEEDS OFFICERS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

5.

Dr Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Education with the recent announcement of having special needs officers in primary and secondary schools, whether there will be plans to have these officers available for assessment of preschool and kindergarten students, as many manifestations such as attention deficit disorder, autism and dyslexia are detectable during the preschool years.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Role of SNOs in schools

The primary role of Special Needs Officers (SNOs) in mainstream primary and secondary schools is to provide support and intervention for pupils who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate special needs such as dyslexia or autistic spectrum disorder so that these pupils can have access to education in our mainstream schools. To date, a total of 81 SNOs have been deployed to 57 primary schools and 13 secondary schools. These SNOs provide individual support for these pupils in the normal classrooms, as well as train them in specific skills, such as literacy or social skills in small groups.

However, the diagnosis and assessments of children with special needs require the specialist knowledge of psychology or psychiatry. The SNOs are not trained to conduct these assessments. However, they and our teachers can make referrals to the professionals if they notice children who may be exhibiting signs of learning difficulties.

The assessment of children with special needs in the mainstream schools is mainly done by psychologists in MOE or by clinicians in the Child Guidance Clinic at the Institute of Mental Health.

Identification of children with special needs in preschools

For the preschool children, the identification and diagnosis is carried out by the Child Development Units (CDUs) in KKH and NUH. This is because at this age, a child’s physical, social, mental and language skills are developing. It is therefore important that the evaluation and input of professionals from multiple disciplines, including pediatricians, child psychologists, speech and language therapists as well as physio-therapists and occupational therapists (to develop the child’s motor skills) are all taken into consideration to arrive at an accurate assessment. The inputs of other medical and allied health specialists, including geneticists, neurologists, and nutritionists may also be needed in some cases.

To help teachers understand children with learning difficulties, MOE requires the pre-service training for pre-school teachers leading to certificate or diploma includes modules on special needs.

Furthermore, there is an annual seminar for child-care practitioners. The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports has incorporated topics on special needs and

Column: 1163

inclusion in this seminar. Child care centre staff are familiar with the current protocol for detection and referral of children with mild learning disabilities. Once a child with special needs is detected, the centre would advise the parents to seek professional help at the CDUs.

MOE will continue to support MCYS and the Ministry of Health on early intervention for pre-school children with special needs.

Column: 1163