Support for Children with Special Needs

Support for Special Needs in Mainstream Schools

In 2004, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the following initiatives to support children with mild special needs in mainstream schools:

• Deployment of Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) [AEDs(LBS)], previously known as Special Needs Officers, to support children with mild special needs in mainstream schools.
• Additional funding for resourced mainstream schools.
• Training in special needs for selected teachers in mainstream schools. These teachers take on the role of Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSNs) in schools.

The above efforts by MOE to provide additional resources to support pupils/students with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools started in 2005.

Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) [AEDs(LBS)]

AEDs(LBS) may support students with mild special needs (including dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)) in the following ways:

• in-class support;
• individual / small group intervention support (e.g. in literacy skills);
• small group skills training (e.g. social skills, study and organisational skills);
• case management and other administrative duties; and
• resource management

AEDs(LBS) also work with teachers and other school personnel such as Allied Educators for Counselling, to support students with mild special needs.

Primary Schools

Currently, all primary schools have been staffed with at least one AED(LBS) to support students with mild special needs. The new primary school, Frontier Primary School, will be resourced with one AED (LBS) by mid-2012.

Secondary Schools

20 secondary schools are resourced to support students with dyslexia and 12 secondary schools are resourced to support students with mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). An additional 20 secondary schools have also been resourced in May 2011 to support students with mild special needs (Table 1).

MOE plans to recruit additional AEDs(LBS) to meet longer term needs in both primary and secondary schools.

Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSNs)

In addition, all schools are resourced with Teachers trained in Special Needs (TSNs) to support students with mild special needs. As of the end of 2010, 10% of teachers in each primary school have been trained in the area of special needs to enable them to better support students with mild special needs. 20% of teachers in each secondary school will also be trained by 2012. Since 2005, about 3200 teachers have undergone training in special needs. The next phase of training will begin in June 2012.

TSNs would be able to:

• provide individual or small group support to students with mild special needs in their classes;
• share strategies and resources with other teachers and parents;
• assist with the transition of students with mild special needs from one grade level to the next; and
• assist with monitoring the progress of students with mild special needs.

Table 1: Secondary Schools Resourced to Support Mild Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Dyslexia

You can sort the schools by zone by clicking on the “Zone” header cell.

School	Zone	Mild ASD Support	Dyslexia Support
Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)	South	No	Yes
Assumption English School	West	No	Yes
Balestier Hill Secondary School	South	Yes	Yes
Bedok North Secondary School	East	Yes	No
Bedok South Secondary School	East	Yes	Yes
Bukit Merah Secondary School	South	Yes	Yes
Bukit View Secondary School	West	Yes	Yes
Canberra Secondary School	North	No	Yes
Catholic High School	South	Yes	Yes
CHIJ Katong Convent	East	No	Yes
CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent	South	No	Yes
Chong Boon Secondary School	South	Yes	No
Deyi Secondary School	North	No	Yes
Farfield Methodist School (Secondary)	South	Yes	Yes
Fuchun Secondary School	North	Yes	No
Greendale Secondary School	North	Yes	Yes
Hai Sing Catholic School	East	Yes	Yes
Hillgrove Secondary School	West	No	Yes
Hougang Secondary School	North	Yes	Yes
Jurongville Secondary School	West	Yes	No
Kent Ridge Secondary School	South	No	Yes
Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School	South	Yes	Yes
Loyang Secondary School	East	No	Yes
MacPherson Secondary School	East	Yes	No
Maris Stella High School	North	Yes	Yes
Marsiling Secondary School	North	No	Yes
Montfort Secondary School	North	No	Yes
North View Secondary School	North	Yes	No
Orchid Park Secondary School	North	Yes	Yes
Pei Hwa Secondary School	North	Yes	Yes
Ping Yi Secondary School	East	No	Yes
Pioneer Secondary School	West	Yes	No
Punggol Secondary School	North	No	Yes
Queenstown Secondary School	South	Yes	No
Regent Secondary School	West	No	Yes
Seng Kang Secondary School	North	Yes	No
Shuqun Secondary School	West	No	Yes
Siglap Secondary School	East	Yes	Yes
St. Andrew’s Secondary School	South	Yes	Yes
St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School	East	Yes	Yes
St. Gabriel’s Secondary School	South	No	Yes
St. Hilda’s Secondary School	East	No	Yes
St. Patrick’s School	East	No	Yes
Swiss Cottage Secondary School	West	Yes	Yes
Tampines Secondary School	East	Yes	No
Teck Whye Secondary School	West	Yes	No
Temasek Secondary School	East	Yes	Yes
Unity Secondary School	West	Yes	Yes
West Spring Secondary School	West	Yes	Yes
Westwood Secondary School	West	No	Yes
Yuan Ching Secondary School	West	Yes	Yes

This information is accurate as of January 2012.