Working on your child’s gross motor skills at an early stage helps to set the foundation for developing more complex skills as they grow. SPD’s Physiotherapists Natalia Szukalska and La Min Maung will share some activities that you can do with your child to help develop or improve their gross motor skills.
As quality intervention most often takes place in the child’s natural environment, caregivers’ involvement is important in extending learning opportunities to children with developmental needs at home. In this article, SPD’s early intervention teacher, Gerry Da, explains how caregivers can play the role of the teacher at home.
According to a recent survey by YouGov, 44% of Singaporeans are not getting enough sleep. In particular, caregivers, given their caregiving responsibilities, may experience a lack of sleep. What can we do to improve sleep for better wellbeing and quality of life? SPD social worker, Benjamin Han, shares more about healthy sleep in this article.
“My 5-year-old son does not like talking to me or responding to my questions. He talks only when he wants something from me.” If you are facing similar challenges as a caregiver, here are some useful tips from SPD’s speech therapist, Ridhima Batra, to help you engage your child in conversation.
Introducing the new All In tool to easily track your child’s growth.
Watch the instructional video in this post and get started today!
Joy is a powerful tool for solving childhood challenges and promoting brain health. Yet in our culture of doing, teaching, treating and pathologizing, too often we forget that when a child needs help, the first thing we should increase is joy. Here the author stresses the importance of finding many opportunities for moments of joy every day with our children.
This is a story about how hearing-impaired Lee Duck Hee used his other senses to excel in tennis.
In the previous article, “Managing Challenging Behaviours in Children – Part 1”, SPD’s early intervention psychologist, Jacelyn Loh, introduced five strategies that caregivers can use to manage their children’s challenging behaviours. Jacelyn shares more methods in this second part of the series.
Some caregivers may be at a loss as to what to do when their child displays challenging behaviours. If you are one of them, the good news is that there are strategies that you can make use of to manage your child’s emotions. In this first of a two-part series, SPD’s early intervention psychologist, Jacelyn Loh, shares how.
Written by a team of social workers from MINDS, here are 3 tips for managing family members who are unable to accept a child with disability.
Written by a team of social workers from MINDS, here are 6 tips for strengthening your marriage while taking care of a child with disabilities.
Written by a team of social workers from MINDS, this article explains what intellectual disability is and common causes of intellectual disability.
What is the secret to a happy life? Sam Berns who was diagnosed with a rare rapid ageing disease called progeria shares his advice for a happy life.
Play is the most important part of every child’s life and it is crucial for their development. Written by a team of psychologists from MINDS, this article explains why we should play with our children, and how to do so.
Written by a team of psychologists from MINDS, this article explains why children may refuse to go to school and what you as the caregiver can do about it.
In this article, All In’s founder Daniel Tan shares the findings of a research study that shows that being kind is an evolutionary advantage, as well as how parents can nurture kindness in their children.
Written by a team of psychologists from MINDS, this article explains why children throw tantrums or behave aggressively and provide useful tips for managing such behaviours.
Written by a team of psychologists from MINDS, this article explains what Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is, its symptoms and causes, and how caregivers can manage a child with ADHD.
In the largest population-based multinational cohort study to investigate the origins of autism, researchers say that the risk of developing autism is mostly hereditary.
Written by a team of occupational therapists from MINDS, this article explains the components of fine motor skills, factors that influence fine motor skills and how you can help your child improve these skills.
Written by a team of occupational therapists from MINDS, this article explains the components of fine motor skills, factors that influence fine motor skills and how you can help your child improve these skills.
As caregivers, we have a major role in helping our children build up a healthy self-esteem. Written by a team of psychologists from MINDS, here are 7 ways we can improve our children’s self-esteem.
It is important to help children develop social skills so that they can establish relationships and exhibit behaviours that are age-appropriate and culturally acceptable. Written by a team of psychologists from MINDS, here are 4 ways we can use to develop our children’s social skills.
ADL are essential activities that we perform in our daily lives. Most children with disabilities have difficulties performing self-care. It is important that we help develop ADL skills in children and encourage them to be independent, thus decreasing their dependence on caregivers. Written by MINDS’ Occupational Therapists, this guide explains how we can get started with developing ADL skills through activity analysis and intervention strategies.
Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) refers to all forms of communication that enhance or supplement verbal speech or writing. It is an internationally recognised area of clinical and educational practice that attempts to compensate, temporarily or permanently, for significant speech, language, and writing disabilities. Earlier this year, Specialised ATC, SPD published the AAC for Caregivers Manual. Read on to learn about the tried and tested strategies for effective communication that are found in the manual.
In this article, All In’s founder, Daniel Tan, shares his experience from working with children with disabilities.
Daniel Tan is currently the Honorary Assistant Secretary of the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). He is also the Chairman of the Residential and Community-based Care Services Committee.
Given that about 1 in every 100 of our population has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is likely that many of us would know someone with autism, no matter whether it is a relative’s child or a friend’s child. How do you act around the parents of the person with autism and with the child herself or himself? We consulted a few parents of children with autism to put together some suggestions to these questions.
With some awareness of best practices in design, we can create a more inclusive and accessible community for our friends, colleagues, and customers with special needs. For example, for someone on the autism spectrum, we can reduce the use of bright contrasting colours. Here are some useful guidelines on what we can do when preparing documents or designing for people with different access needs.
Here is a word from one of All In’s founder Daniel Tan, who is currently the Honorary Assistant Secretary of the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). He is also the Chairman of the Residential and Community-based Care Services Committee. In this article, Daniel shares his thoughts about how parents can encourage their children to be unconsciously kinder and more caring towards persons with special needs in our community.
As caregivers or friends, we can help a child with special needs achieve his or her potential by telling him or her about inspiring role models. This helps them understand that they can do what they might have been told can’t be done, and how others have done it. As the third part of a series on Role Models in Science and Mathematics, the spotlight is on Lawrence Baggett, Professor Emeritus in Mathematics.
“It’s Always a Good Time” is an exciting event filled with games, art activities and a dance session for individuals with special needs. There will also be a photo booth and digital copies will be sent to the participants. Light refreshments will be provided. The best part is that the event will be taking place in an accessible part of town.
As caregivers or friends, we can help a child with special needs achieve his or her potential by telling him or her about inspiring role models. It helps them understand that they can do what they might have been told can’t be done, and how others have done it. As the second part of a series on Role Models in Science and Mathematics, the spotlight is on Temple Grandin, inventor of livestock handling devices. This article includes some of her advice for parents of children with autism.
June’s coming right up and we’ve done our best to put together the most comprehensive list of holiday activities for you. The list is systematically organised: first by the type of SEN support provided, then by the dates. Useful information such as a short description of the activities, age groups, time slots, costs and location are also provided.
“It’s been a difficult road that leads me to where I am today.” These are the words of Travis Chua, a 7-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. His essay “The Roads We Take” is published in the book “The Birthday Book Jr”.
Here are some ways we can help a child with special needs achieve his or her potential.
There are several existing centres in Singapore with programs that teach life skills to people with special needs. However, a life skill centre specifically for young adults with Down syndrome did not exist until now.
As caregivers or friends, we can help a child with special needs achieve his or her potential by telling him or her about inspiring role models. This helps them understand that they can do what they might have been told can’t be done, and how others have done it. As the first part of a series on Role Models in Science and Mathematics, the spotlight is on Ralph Braun, inventor of the vehicle wheelchair lift.
Our children with special educational needs (SEN) require more specialised support in their education. One way to find out more about the programmes, culture and support a school offers is to visit the schools during an Open House. We have updated the list of Government-funded SPED schools (including Rainbow Centre Yishun Park School (RCYPS), which opened at Marsiling Lane in 2018). The list is organised by type of SEN support the schools provide, and contains information about the programmes, age groups of students, and updated information about the dates for Open House.
As caregivers, we have so many responsibilities that we often neglect ourselves. But taking time out to care for ourselves is really important. Not only does it improve our physical and emotional health, it makes us a better caregiver. “But the problem is time!” you cry. Never fear! We have prepared a list of 15 …
All In Recommends: Autism is not uncommon, about 1 in every 100 of our population has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). But how much do we know about the autistic adults? About their aspirations and their challenges? Their triumphs and their struggles? How do their caregivers, if any, cope with caring for those with more severe conditions. Watch their stories on Uniquely Me, a six-part documentary by Mediacorp.
All In 推荐： “《特别的我，你懂吗？》带你走进12个自闭成人的世界，从亚斯伯格症候群到中重度自闭症，深入了解他们的苦与乐，窥探他们的特殊和天赋。自闭成人是被社会误解的一群，经常被贴上为反社交或异常的标签。他们在等待着你，用心聆听他们的故事，真心包容他们的特别。”
At All In, we sometimes get interesting questions from the general public. The Layman’s Guide to Autism are simplified answers to these real questions. Today, we will be answering this question from our friend, Tee Eng: What should I do if I see a stranger with autism having a meltdown?
Having made the decision to send your child with special education needs (SEN) to a mainstream school, you may find yourself worrying about whether your child can cope. However, with the right support, children with special needs can thrive in mainstream schools. This article aims to help you prepare for your child’s entry into a mainstream school.
“If I were in Sebastien’s body and functioning with his mind, I seriously doubt that I would fare that much better…” This is the inspirational story of how a mother of an aggressive teenager with autism coped with puberty, the general public and her own emotions.
A mother wrote an article about her thoughts on Sheldon Cooper. Her son with autism wrote his response and his thoughts about Sheldon Cooper. Such an honest and beautiful dialogue is too good to be missed.
Ashlea McKay lived most of her life believing that she was a monster, “an evil creature who didn’t belong and couldn’t socially function well enough to exist among society.” It was only when she got diagnosed at the age of 29 with autism that she understood how her brain work and that she came to accept herself and believe in her own self-worth.
“You’re going to be lucky if your child makes a friend, if she holds a driver’s license, if she holds a minimum wage job.”
Well, she became a lawyer.
Read about Haley Moss, the first openly autistic lawyer to be admitted to the Florida bar.
This article introduces the resources available to parents of children with autism. These includes local organisations, support groups, and informative sites.
This article introduces the resources available to parents of children with cerebral palsy. These includes local organisations, support groups, and informative sites.
When you first find out that your child has special needs, you may feel anxious and stressed. You may be filled with never-ending questions or feel alone. This short list could help ease your mind.