Forum Letter Replies
Govt agencies ensuring school places for autistic kids
We would like to assure Mr Danny Chua Hock Chye (“More places needed in schools for autistic kids”, 8 Apr 08) that MOE and the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) are monitoring the needs of children with autism closely to ensure that there are adequate places for them in mainstream schools and Special Education (SPED) schools.
For children with mild to moderate autism who are in mainstream schools, Special Needs Officers have been recruited, trained and deployed to provide ‘in-school’ support to pupils since 2004.
For children with autism who are unable to cope with the demands of mainstream education, MOE and NCSS have made it a priority to ensure that adequate places are provided to meet demand in SPED schools.
Between 2001 and 2006, MOE and NCSS have engaged more SPED schools to offer classes for autistic children. Three autism-specific schools have also been set up: Pathlight School in 2004, Singapore Autism School in 2005 and St Andrew’s Autism School in 2006. Currently, there are classes for children with autism in 16 SPED schools and the three autism-specific schools, catering to some 1,200 pupils with autism. There is physical capacity for some 300 more pupils and this will increase to 950 when the redevelopment works at the three autism-specific schools are completed in 2010.
MCYS and NCSS provide funding support to defray the costs of the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) and additional financial help has also been made available through the recently announced EIPIC Support Grant to families who need it. Parents may apply directly to the EIPIC service operators for the EIPIC Support Grant.
For more information on disability services, parents and the public may log onto the Disability Portal, or call the Disability Information and Referral Centre (DIRC) Helpline at 1800-347-2222.
We thank Mr Chua for his feedback.
Director, Education Programmes
Ministry of Education
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
National Council of Social Service
More places needed in school for autistic kids (Danny Chua Hock Chye, ST Forum, 8/4, pH7)
I REFER to last Tuesday’s article, ‘$33m school for autistic kids will offer 600 places’. It is an excellent move for Pathlight School to reach out to 600 students.
The surging enrolment, from 41 students to 415, indicates that there is growing demand and unmet needs.
Based on Autism Resource Centre estimates that one out of every 167 children born is autistic, there are about 4,550 autistic children here. If 25 per cent of such children are high functioning with an IQ above 75 to qualify for admission to such a school, there should be a demand for 1,137 places—indicating a shortfall from the present 600 places available.
Perhaps Pathlight should consider a second session in the afternoon to meet such needs.
Early intervention treatment by speech therapists and special needs teachers costs about $2,700 a month. But the government subsidy of such treatment has been reduced at a government-sponsored centre which in 2006 charged $240 a month. Since January last year, the cost has increased by about four times due to lower subsidy.
Although it can be argued that such subsidy could be better spent on gifted and talented students with better payback, no autistic child should be left behind because their parents can’t afford it. Surely the Government can do more if in the words of Senior Minister of State for Education Grace Fu: ‘I want many of them to be able to pay income tax instead of receiving welfare.’