Autistic children - Share your experiences here.

Hi ladies, I understand that it's not easy to deal with the different aspects of raising a special needs child & as mothers you would want to give the best of everything to your child. I'm not a mother, but we are a team of experienced behavior theraphist, speech educator and experienced art educator who will be more than willing help you improve your child's social skills through music, art & play.

We value the importance of naturalistic learning where teachings are conducted through music & art and learning is fun & fulfilling. We recognise the lack of social skills in most special needs individuals, hence our key objective is to equip them with the appropriate skills to cope with challenges they face socially. Every session, we will invite mainstream children to join the class where our students will get the opportunity to learn & interact alongside, making learning as natural and less invasive as possible.

If you do need more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].
 


Dear Mummies, may I seek feedback on St Gerard's School?
My son's current CC is unable to handle him and they just left him alone...
 
Hi mothers
Anyone can share about Divinity School for Especial Needs, Zee Learning and Kids4Kids?

I am sourcing for another school to replace St Gerard.

Dear mummy, may I gain some feedback from you with regards to St Gerard?
 
hi mummies, my boy turning 3 yrs old in coming Aug, but he still dun talk yet only babbles. he got a very bad temper which can try to knock his head on the ground. we try to bring him to kkh for assessment but the doc says he might be slow so not fair to assess him yet. but till now i feel signs of autism is showing specially the temper anger part. any mommies can share on the pte speech N Ot therapy? waiting list for the school for my sons is still long . so trying to find other ways to help him. thanks alot
 
any whatsapp group from mummies here that I can join. ? my younger one is one. diagnosed n confirmed by psychologist. need some help n hope to discuss n share knowledge.
 
Dear all

need your first hand experience on some outlook that is coming, as I am still very lost as wad I be facing.


our boy is currently 21 months, so recently I was chatting with a colleague who has an autistic kid and I began to just do some reading up on ASD and my suspicions starts to grow, I am a daddy here by the way so I am not so observant for a start unless I have something to start with.


Some red flags we noticed in our boy

1. No words yet ; but he sometimes will go "wa" or say "no" or "go" but may not always be in the right context or used at the appropriate time

2. Spin with eyes at the sides, I have read this is a major red flag but he seems to be it doing out of fun and not something obsessive, I am able to stop it with "no" to him. he does not go into any meltdown

3. poor response to name calling, half the time he would ignore but other half the time he would turn ard and smile or run to u for a hug, other than that he actually quite affectionate to family members including his aunts and uncles.

4. he has very bad stranger anxiety, as he would not let anybody carry him, its a hit and miss but I do notice if u warmed him up hes ok, like my parents in law, whom he sees probably once a mth, initially he will wail, refuse to even go into the house, hold on to the gate refusing to go in and even when he goes in, he will hold on to us tightly until my in laws coax him with toys whom he will slowly play with it n open up to them, my FIL last time round actually brought him down to look at cars, he likes to look at cars and he told us he actually took the initiative to hold his hand as they walk, but of course this anxiety does not turn up very well for his development checkups cos he be non cooperative and refuse to comply or play.

4a. he has no siblings and his cousins are in upp primary, so basically since birth he is all the while alone.

4b. this shows up as a major red flag during review with our recent paeds, I will touch on that later.


on the good side , he seems trainable in some sense

currently at 21 mths, he can

1. Return his milk bottle to the sink from bedroom when coaxed

2. Throw his diaper to kitchen bin from bedroom when coaxed

3. handover things on his hands when we asked, altho he don't involve us much during his play, he sometimes would shake things and look at us for our attention

4. he would know after hes dressed and we are dressed its time to go out, he will be waiting at the gate to go out, so sometimes he will fetch his shoes from the show rack and wait at the door, sometimes he forgets but will do it if we remind him wheres the shoe ?

5. he does not stack or lined his toys but sometimes will stare at the spinning ceiling fan for a while, he likes moving objects with loud noises for example buses, trucks and aeroplanes and will follow visually but he dosent point or show us.

6. he sleeps well , long hrs maybe 9-10 hrs daily excluding afternoon naps which is abt 2-3 hrs, sometimes 5.

7. eats well, its quite a glutton even after his food he will come to us when we r eating and munch his mouth, he does not point or give verbal requests

8. he throw tantrumns sometimes but its not meltdown, can normally be soothen by carrying n cuddling

ok back to his assessment

1. his 18mths at polyclinic was bad, basically it cannot be carried out, he was hungry and after injection and it was his noon nap time

1a. the rebookin was really long plus I was getting abit paranoid so we went to raffles children centre when we saw a paeds specializing in child development and she highly suspect him for moderate autism as basically our boy bo chup her when she tries to play with him , he will jus go abt playing his own stuffs, but he was nvr given a chance to play with others , other than us.

on the playing with us part, he could not do too complicated games but able to sort shapes and handover or take things from us, he has generally good eye contact with pple, infact when hes drinking milk sometimes he will look at u deeply like trying to connect with u

the initial diagnosis was devastating and confusing news to us.

I was reading up a lot on the red flags so sometimes I feel he is ASD, sometimes I feel hes not judging by the things he is able to do, I am not saying he is exceptionally smart but I do have a nephew is severe ASD n he basically jus cry all day and is basically not very functional.

my sis is a special needs teacher who deals with ASD kids tells me she think shes not, its jus poor performance infront of the assessor, comparing to her students, ASD kids normally have a very structured way of doing things like doing things in sequence or are subceptible to loud noises or lights, she so far did not see any of such things in our boy but noted his development is abit behind, she and my boy sometimes play "catching" and will chase each other.


am so totally confused, please help me out

Hi Utopian,

Let me try to answer you to the best of my knowledge.

Red Flags:

1. Thought many children with autism tends to speak later, but it could be speech delay. You need to find out why is it not using words. A few possibilities could be oral dyspraxia whereby the child is unable to use his oral muscles very well, lack the vocab of the things he will like to request for or he could be lazy to request, often happen when things are done for or presented to him and there is no need to request.

2. He could be engaging in some visual stimulation. Many a times, we do not know the reason why, mainly because their need for sensory input. Try to redirect him to look at something else or other activities.

3. Because he responds 50% of the time, i will rule out hearing loss. It could be because he is spacing out and may in his case, engage in visual stimulation. I will need more information about this to make a more accurate comment. Many of our children appear spacey as they are engaging in some form of self stimulation. It could be sensory, auditory, visual etc.

4. It is very hard for me to comment on this but knowing who are the strangers is actually a good time. But it also could be a form of rigidity.

I understand how you are feeling and have seen many parents break down in front of me. A very positive thing is that your child is still very young and we always stress on early intervention. Whether or not if he is along the spectrum of autism, there are areas that he needs help. I will recommend to seek a more profession advise, not just on the diagnosis, but understand the behaviours that you are seeing now and seek intervention to work on these areas.

Hope it helps =)

Liyuan
Programme Manager
autismstep.com
 
Hi all, I am actually a dad really concerned and worried over my boy. His mum is a very busy CGI student doing her final year. I am suffering from very extreme depression, the only thing that kept me going is my boy. Always bringing a smile on my face with his funny antics.

My boy is 4 years old, doing N2 Class at a daycare centre (Kanooka School) in Jurong. He is currently diagnosed by NUH CDC at Jurong Medical Centre, to be on the ASD spectrum. The prescribed speech therapy sessions doesnt seem to help him much, and recently we were referred to Eden School(EIPIC) at Clementi for furthur assessment. There is a waiting period of 3 to 6 months for vacancy and we are not even sure that is a good idea or not.

Both of us are going through severe depressive episodes constantly and had long passed any limit window we put in place. My wife has even asked for divorce so she can bring our boy back to the U.S for therapy.

I somehow feel that at 4 years, a complete change of environment will mess up all the progress that he has made so far. Not to mention that we do not have regular income.

Hope someone can help on advising
 
Trying to do therapy on my own is too much of a headache and i am not sure if i am doing it right. my child couldnt talk at about the
Hi all, I am actually a dad really concerned and worried over my boy. His mum is a very busy CGI student doing her final year. I am suffering from very extreme depression, the only thing that kept me going is my boy. Always bringing a smile on my face with his funny antics.

My boy is 4 years old, doing N2 Class at a daycare centre (Kanooka School) in Jurong. He is currently diagnosed by NUH CDC at Jurong Medical Centre, to be on the ASD spectrum. The prescribed speech therapy sessions doesnt seem to help him much, and recently we were referred to Eden School(EIPIC) at Clementi for furthur assessment. There is a waiting period of 3 to 6 months for vacancy and we are not even sure that is a good idea or not.

Both of us are going through severe depressive episodes constantly and had long passed any limit window we put in place. My wife has even asked for divorce so she can bring our boy back to the U.S for therapy.

I somehow feel that at 4 years, a complete change of environment will mess up all the progress that he has made so far. Not to mention that we do not have regular income.

Hope someone can help on advising



I know how you feel. A few years ago i faced an almost similiar situation to you. Luckily for me i had a very supportive mother in law and a very good occupational therapist. My mother in law was really dedicated and allowed me to work while she looked after my child. I am totally indebted to her. He is actually now a consultant to 2 major government linked institutions that deal with children and young adults with learning problems. Sorry i cant divulge the name but this therapist gave up some of his precious time and at least my child has been passing his exams borderline but i dont care and further more his motor perceptual skills have improved. The key is to get good support. Best of luck if you need some friendly advice email me at [email protected] but give me sometime i may be busy ps did i saw my child is also a calmer child and mixing better in school
 
Trying to do therapy on my own is too much of a headache and i am not sure if i am doing it right. my child couldnt talk at about the




I know how you feel. A few years ago i faced an almost similiar situation to you. Luckily for me i had a very supportive mother in law and a very good occupational therapist. My mother in law was really dedicated and allowed me to work while she looked after my child. I am totally indebted to her. He is actually now a consultant to 2 major government linked institutions that deal with children and young adults with learning problems. Sorry i cant divulge the name but this therapist gave up some of his precious time and at least my child has been passing his exams borderline but i dont care and further more his motor perceptual skills have improved. The key is to get good support. Best of luck if you need some friendly advice email me at [email protected] but give me sometime i may be busy ps did i saw my child is also a calmer child and mixing better in school

hi @4gladmom, thank you for sharing. i have pm-ed you on the contact.
 
Hi all, I am actually a dad really concerned and worried over my boy. His mum is a very busy CGI student doing her final year. I am suffering from very extreme depression, the only thing that kept me going is my boy. Always bringing a smile on my face with his funny antics.

My boy is 4 years old, doing N2 Class at a daycare centre (Kanooka School) in Jurong. He is currently diagnosed by NUH CDC at Jurong Medical Centre, to be on the ASD spectrum. The prescribed speech therapy sessions doesnt seem to help him much, and recently we were referred to Eden School(EIPIC) at Clementi for furthur assessment. There is a waiting period of 3 to 6 months for vacancy and we are not even sure that is a good idea or not.

Both of us are going through severe depressive episodes constantly and had long passed any limit window we put in place. My wife has even asked for divorce so she can bring our boy back to the U.S for therapy.

I somehow feel that at 4 years, a complete change of environment will mess up all the progress that he has made so far. Not to mention that we do not have regular income.

Hope someone can help on advising

I have seen many parents that broke down in front of me and has gone through similar circumstance as you. You and your spouse are the only hope for him.

Many a times, fear arises due to the lack of knowledge of the particular topic that one is concern of. There are many professionals out there that can give you advises on the topic of autism. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Early intervention is very important. Do not wait for Eden to get back to you. Seek other form of therapy right away but it is very important to look for the right form of therapy for your child. Feel free to let me know more about your child and i may be able to advise you accordingly. I have recently commented on another thread and it may give you a better understanding of their different form of therapy.
http://singaporemotherhood.com/forum/threads/autism-adhd-add-etc-support-group.2972/page-17

After finding the most appropriate therapy, start on the therapy while waiting for Eden. Once Eden has accepted your application, slowly cut off the therapy so that your son can transit to the school setting smoothly.
 
Hi Parents!

Just to check if anyone had any review on the OT and ST at Total Communication?

Appreciate your feedback!
 
Hi,

My son is 4.5 years old and has been diagnosed as having ASD by KKWCH. I have sent him to a private special school when he was 3 years old with early intervention, occupational therapy and speech therapy (2x/week) and he starts to talk more when he turns 3.5 years old. It may be more costly but early intervention is critical for kids with ASD and the waiting list in hospitals is simply too long.... Now, he is able to read from books/TV and is able to name body parts/numbers/animals/food/drinks/vehicles etc but he refuses to talk in sentence, just 2-3 words. He will say ' help me' if he needs my help and 'sorry' when he misbehaves.
Hopes that helps
Hi, Can you please mention name of the scool your son was going to for those therapies??
 
My elder son is 3.5yo. We are putting him in a Montessori center. In the past, He used to hit his head and bite his hand when he is angry, but after attending school he stop hurting himself. We see improvements after he attend preschool.
But he doesn't speak a lot, still baby talk, very little eye contact with other kids/adults, doesn't like to play with younger bro.
Spoke in simple sentences like: I am 3yo. I love you. Goodbye see you, I want milk.... when he needs help, he will say: save me.
But most of the time, he ignores you. But comes to you, grab your hand when he needs something...
What else should I do to help him improve further? A speech therapist ?
 
Hi, My Son is suspected of high functioning autism and would like to know if anyone place their children at nurture pods. Looking for any reviews on early intervention and any private eipic recommendation
 

Hi everyone,


I am sharing my experience as a mum to a boy on the spectrum.




Background of my boy


-classic autism:


  • flapping hands
  • head banging
  • sleeping issues
  • didn’t respond to name being called
  • good in calculations
  • liked lifts, numbers & letters of the alphabet
  • watched the same VCD over and over again
  • poor in communication, social skills, psychomotor skills
  • poor self regulation
  • not able to sit still nor follow instructions



Now, my boy is in mainstream P3. He still has his awkward behaviour at times but getting him improve from echolalia to a boy managing well in mainstream without any aid has been the biggest success of my life.




To all parents, don't every give up on your child nor lose hope. There were times when I felt like giving up. At times like these, I would give myself a break and come back stronger because there is no one else in the world who would love him more than I do. For me, I do not want to have any regrets in the future for not helping him, so I have started him on all sorts of interventions since he was 3.

 
Hi everyone,


I am sharing my experience as a mum to a boy on the spectrum.




Background of my boy


-classic autism:



  • flapping hands
  • head banging
  • sleeping issues
  • didn’t respond to name being called
  • good in calculations
  • liked lifts, numbers & letters of the alphabet
  • watched the same VCD over and over again
  • poor in communication, social skills, psychomotor skills
  • poor self regulation
  • not able to sit still nor follow instructions


Now, my boy is in mainstream P3. He still has his awkward behaviour at times but getting him improve from echolalia to a boy managing well in mainstream without any aid has been the biggest success of my life.




To all parents, don't every give up on your child nor lose hope. There were times when I felt like giving up. At times like these, I would give myself a break and come back stronger because there is no one else in the world who would love him more than I do. For me, I do not want to have any regrets in the future for not helping him, so I have started him on all sorts of interventions since he was 3.

Any intervention to recommend.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My boy is a suspected mild autism coz pead is not sure and need further test. He is 3 yo. We would like to give him ahead on the early intervention. But, the nurse in KKH states the waiting time for government subsidized EPIC Center waiting time is about 6 months. We do not want to wait further. We would like to start on private centers on speech therapy needed while waiting for the available places from subsidized government EPIC center.

i heard of ABA therapy is good. But, anyone knows about the cost?

I have read many past post. Would be good to get some helps/tips from experienced parents.

Thanks in advanced
 
Hi JD007, I have not done ABA before as it was out of my budget (was alrd doing so many other interventions), so I am not able to contribute to that topic. Sorry about it.

Charlene and all daddies/mummies,

My son had OT for almost 2 years with little improvements. I was not satisfied with his progress and did not stop researching for other interventions until I chanced upon the Son-Rise Program. There was someone who posted on the internet looking for volunteers to go into her daughter's Son-Rise room. After contacting her by phone, I made a visit to her house to find out more about the program. That was how I came to know about Son-Rise Program.

My son started Son-Rise Program when he was 6 years old concurrently with brain training (neurofeedback). The Son-Rise Program is a home-based program for parents and care-givers to play with the child in a room where there is no distraction. Don't underestimate what we parents can do because:
1. we are the parents of our child, we love our child more than anyone else
2. our child will connect with us more than with others
3. we have the strong desire to help our child

I was in the playroom (living room) for half a year, playing with my son everyday for 4 hours. He used to play with 2 bricks, pretending that they were the doors of the MRT trains. Then we slowly expanded his imagination to building the Changi Airport Terminals with people taking the skytrain etc.

When I started the Son-Rise program, I had to travel to US to learn it. Recently, the trainers have been coming to Malaysia and Singapore with the help of a non-profit organisation. http://www.embraceautism.sg/

Below is the link to Dr Suzanne Goh's experience in using Son-Rise on her son.
https://www.sma.org.sg/UploadedImg/files/Publications - SMA News/4812/Opinion.pdf

I always believe that when there is no pain, there is no gain. I Son-Rise my son alone without the help of any volunteers and saw tremendous improvement in my son. Prior to starting Son-Rise, he was on brain training which saw him getting more speech, so I think the combination of both just escalated his progress.

watch A Miracle of Love on youtube. It tells the story of how Son-Rise came about.
 
Thanks Pinkamoon. So grateful to get to know this new method and your sharing is definitely great help. As you said, parents love their children so much. I can't wait to help him if i acquired the skills with me.
 
You are welcome JD007!:)
Try searching for Son-Rise in YouTube. The trainers have posted quite a number of videos teaching parents how to play with their children. You can get some ideas from there.
 
Hi Pinkamoon, many thanks to you. My husband and i like Son-Rise program. We enjoy playing with him. He loves to play with us as well. i didn't know that would help. It is a very loving method. We have been doing that for past 2/3 weeks. I also told my hubby i found my boy is improving a lot ever since w/o knowing it is actually a method. Even the school teachers told us he has improved a lot for past 2/3 weeks. We play with him together with my girl who is 5 yrs old in the evening after we got back home from work. We didn't have the play room but off the tv in the living room and run around. When he is excited, he will say many things.. he would sing, he would say whatever u tell him to say, he follows. My son is not that serious case..he just sometimes ignore.. 50% of the time he can get involved depending on the activities.

Before this, I was researching for few days. Was quite lose and this ABA was everywhere in the internet. And, i saw a site charging SGD3,200. I was telling my hubby how can we cope with such expenses monthly. But, we want results.. we want to help my little boy asap. ABA will be harsh on him, and i was thinking what rewards my boy would love if using the ABA method. He is little picky. He does not like sweet neither he likes to eat tidbits.

Just wonder, when you go to the states for the learning. Did you bring your baby along? Is it a must to have a mirror in the playroom? I watched the BBC documentary for a 5yr old boy went for intensive son-rise program in USA. So overwhelm by the outcomes...
 
HI JD007,

I am happy that you followed your mummy's gut feelings. Hooray for you and your supportive husband!! :)

I did not bring my son along because there was no one to take care of him when we attend the lessons. There is another program called the Intensive Program for the children where the trainers will play with him/her for 5 days and parents will sit outside to watch. The Intensive Program costs about US$8-10k, I think.

Go to the embrace autism website http://www.embraceautism.sg/ and check when is the next time the trainers will be here in Singapore/Malaysia so that you do not have to travel to US.

Have fun playing!!!
 
Below are what I have done these years:



Personal Experience

Energy Healing
http://autismsingapore.com/

( 2 courses)

1. No improvements after 2 courses even though I was told that other children had improvements.

2. Cost is similar to OT charges with the ‘therapist’ waving hands in front of the child, healing the energy (something like that)


Nano Energy Booster from Natures Glory Pte Ltd
http://www.natures-glory.com/Images/Products/News/NeB - autism ADD ADHD.pdf

1. Pasting silver round stickers on the pillows and mattress to heal the child… …

2. Nothing works… …

3. Expensive too


biomedical

(6 months – 8 months)
http://kcsmed.com/

Dr Kay

Nice doctor but I did not see much improvements after more than 6 months


biomedical
Naturopathy
Cranial
(6-8 months)
http://www.sundardasnaturopathy.com/


Dr Sundardas
Naturopath, also did Cranial with him but not much improvements


Biomedical
(Back to Basic Alternative Diet Pte Ltd)

Gilllian, mother to an ASD son
A knowledgeable mum but biomedical did not seem to work on my son that well


Gluten Free Casein Free Diet (GFCF)
(6 months)
Remove milk and gluten products

(Can be found at Supermarkets now)

1. NTUC Finest
2. Cold Storage
3. http://theorganicgrocer.com.sg/
4. http://www.supernature.com.sg/
5. http://www.mybrp.com.sg/
6. Eat Organic Pte Ltd
7. www.iherb.com

Review
1. Many GFCF products have soy, corn & sugar.
2. Did not see major improvements after 6 months


Gut & Psychology Syndrome

(GAPS) diet

(18 months before reintroducing rice and potatoes)
Similar to Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)
No carbs, only veg n meat n fats
http://www.gapsdiet.com/gaps-outline.html


There are many blogs on GAPS diet/ SCD/ Paleo on the internet

Review
1. Sleep issue resolved in 3 months. Able to sleep thru the night AT LAST instead of staying awake bet 1am-6am.

2. Calmer, finally able to take a decent photo without holding on to him

3. Responded to being called

4. Tough part is to prepare all his meals and carry every where we went.


OT/ ST
a) Sanjay Floor time therapist
http://www.therapy-network.com/
( 1 year)
eview
1. Nice and patient therapist

b) Hand in Hand OTC
http://www.handinhandotc.com/
(9 months)
Review
1. Pure OT and more instructional type of communication unlike floortime therapy.


c) Leo Megan, Speech Therapy
https://www.leomagan.com/?s2-ssl=yes
(6-9 months)
Review
1. Lessons are conducted by teachers and the ST only tests the child once a month (separate charges)
2. No much improvements.


d) The Son-Rise Program
http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/
http://www.embraceautism.sg/
Review
(practised for 6 months and saw changes in my son)


Just some personal reviews. There are other interventions I have tried. I will post them when I have time.
 
Samonas Singapore

Music Therapy

http://www.streetdirectory.com/businessfinder/company_detail.php?companyid=172276&branchid=9023

( 3 months)

1. Please check if they are still at the address.

2. Music Therapy using Ipad

3. Need to make positive observations everyday after listening to music.

4. Did not see much improvements and charges were very high.


Brain Training

(for 5 years old & above)

Brain Training aka neurofeedback

a) Smart Brain Academy

https://www.smartbrainacademy.com/

(4 months)

Review:
1. saw improvements after 2x weekly for 3 months but it is more costly than another company.



b) Kids Monde Brain Training Centre

www.neurokidsmonde.com

(3 years)

Review:
1. half the price of the SMA.
2. Brain Training takes time, so it is better to be on intensive training.
3. Least expensive among 3 centres.



c) Singapore brain

http://brain.com.sg/

1. better environment, more therapists and trained personnels at prime area, therefore cost is higher too,
2. Using same device for brain training, with OT, ST etc under 1 roof, therefore pricier. (heard from friends)


The Tomatis Method

a) Kids Monde Brain Training Centre

www.neurokidsmonde.com

1. My son’s speech improved in terms of his ability to answer his fluidity (speed, intonation, rhythm) of speech. He answered well and left me speechless at times.

2. He has been through a few cycles and took bout 2-3 cycles to show results.

3. Intensive listening of 2 hours daily for 2 weeks can be taxing and time consuming.

4. Reasonable charges


b) Singapore brain

http://brain.com.sg/


1. Offered with OT, so the cost is a lot higher. (heard from friend, but did not do sessions with them)


Hope the info helps!
 
Hi Pinkamoon,

Back to yr son rising program, for how long u did the program before u ended it?

There was parent sharing session about the program few days ago. The program is good for not just ASD. The team from USA is coming down in December for the start up program. This year will be in Philippine, Manila.

December is another 6 months of waiting. We wanted to start early if possible .. finding way out.

Thanks




HI JD007,

I am happy that you followed your mummy's gut feelings. Hooray for you and your supportive husband!! :)

I did not bring my son along because there was no one to take care of him when we attend the lessons. There is another program called the Intensive Program for the children where the trainers will play with him/her for 5 days and parents will sit outside to watch. The Intensive Program costs about US$8-10k, I think.

Go to the embrace autism website http://www.embraceautism.sg/ and check when is the next time the trainers will be here in Singapore/Malaysia so that you do not have to travel to US.

Have fun playing!!!
,
Samonas Singapore

Music Therapy

http://www.streetdirectory.com/businessfinder/company_detail.php?companyid=172276&branchid=9023

( 3 months)

1. Please check if they are still at the address.

2. Music Therapy using Ipad

3. Need to make positive observations everyday after listening to music.

4. Did not see much improvements and charges were very high.


Brain Training

(for 5 years old & above)

Brain Training aka neurofeedback

a) Smart Brain Academy

https://www.smartbrainacademy.com/

(4 months)

Review:
1. saw improvements after 2x weekly for 3 months but it is more costly than another company.



b) Kids Monde Brain Training Centre

www.neurokidsmonde.com

(3 years)

Review:
1. half the price of the SMA.
2. Brain Training takes time, so it is better to be on intensive training.
3. Least expensive among 3 centres.



c) Singapore brain

http://brain.com.sg/

1. better environment, more therapists and trained personnels at prime area, therefore cost is higher too,
2. Using same device for brain training, with OT, ST etc under 1 roof, therefore pricier. (heard from friends)


The Tomatis Method

a) Kids Monde Brain Training Centre

www.neurokidsmonde.com

1. My son’s speech improved in terms of his ability to answer his fluidity (speed, intonation, rhythm) of speech. He answered well and left me speechless at times.

2. He has been through a few cycles and took bout 2-3 cycles to show results.

3. Intensive listening of 2 hours daily for 2 weeks can be taxing and time consuming.

4. Reasonable charges


b) Singapore brain

http://brain.com.sg/


1. Offered with OT, so the cost is a lot higher. (heard from friend, but did not do sessions with them)


Hope the info helps![/QUO
 
Does anyone use essential oil to help your kids?
Recently I did some research online and saw reviews saying essential oils can help autism and speech delay kids. I bought some bottles of EO from Young Living and DoTerra, since they are natural extracts, no harm trying.
But the oils does not come cheap, due to reputable brands. I bought them off from carousell buyers.

DoTerra - DDR Prime (That's a youtube mommy who use this to help his 3.5yo speech delay son)
DoTerra - Fractionated Coconut oil (for dilution)
Young Living - Brain Power, Peace and Calming 1, Clarity, Lavender, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Frankincense.

Already tried Brain Power on my son for 2 days.
In the morning before school, I would rubbed the Brain Power blend on his temples, back of neck and his spine.
After shower at night, I will applied on the same areas + soles of his feet.
And I would put 2 drops in the diffuser in the bedroom, he loves the smell.

On the second day morning, while waiting for my mil to bring him down to take his school bus,
we played a little game. All the bus were lined up nicely on the TV console cabinet, but I didn't bother to check whether all the colour toy buses are there. There are supposed to be 4 colours.
I asked him: Can you bring me the yellow bus ?
He brought it to me.
Then again: Can you bring me the blue bus?
He dashed over and brought it to me.
Then I say again: Can you bring me the green bus ?
He turned to me and said: Mommy, where is the green bus ?

He spoke to me! In full sentence! I was overwhelmed.
And indeed the green bus wasn't there. We managed to find it in my bedroom.
And he went to school happily.

Currently, for oral medication wise, my son is taking Vayarin capsules ($90 for 60 caps) regularly. This supplement can cross the blood/brain barrier.
In addition, i am also adding Vivomixx probotics (drops) and Vitamin D in his diet.
But because Vivomixx drops are kinda expensive (2 small bottle use for 20days), cost me $37plus, bought it from TMC. Therefore I am looking at other probiotics alternatives like Blackmores, Optibac and BioGaia Protectis, found at all Watsons and Guardians.
 
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A lot of the therapists are too fixated with textbook methods . I feel they are not flexible enough. I managed to get a therapist that goes down to the level ofthe child and bonds with the child before he goes for more advanced intervention.so if you get a therapist make sure he can bond with the child
 
Hi Ying Ying,

I stayed at Holland Rd area. The nearest K4K centres are at Choa Chu Kang and Toa Payoh. Very far away. I spoke to the principal and she is a v nice lady. They will assess the kid to see if suitable for one to one or group. But i prefer group cos he is already on one to one ABA at home. Anyway still looking around to see got other alternatives. Also looking into changing his diet to gfcf.

The ABA therapy is home based. The therapist will come either morning or late afternoon. After one month of ABA, my son can do simple signs when request for food/tv etc. Therapists working very hard to make him produce sounds but it is difficult to get it out of him. They are from the Autism Recovery Network (ARN). I understand they started out in Spore not too long and in Asia they are mainly based in HK. Once every month, a supervisor will come down from HK to assess his progress and they will tweak the program if necessary. There are few orgns that provides home based ABA therapy in Spore and most are very expensive. I hardly have any savings left every month after paying for the therapies. But then again, we will do it so long as there is a chance that he benefit from it.

Let me know if you need the contact.
Hi Fluffy,can u pm me ur ABA therapy contact no.?thank u very much.
 
Hi Fluffy,can u pm me ur ABA therapy contact no.?thank u very much.
Hi , where do you stay at? theres a new centre at punggol that has full day and half day options with group social classes and daily one to one aba therapy.can call 94241961 Miss Ling to enquire
 
My elder son is 3.5yo. We are putting him in a Montessori center. In the past, He used to hit his head and bite his hand when he is angry, but after attending school he stop hurting himself. We see improvements after he attend preschool.
But he doesn't speak a lot, still baby talk, very little eye contact with other kids/adults, doesn't like to play with younger bro.
Spoke in simple sentences like: I am 3yo. I love you. Goodbye see you, I want milk.... when he needs help, he will say: save me.
But most of the time, he ignores you. But comes to you, grab your hand when he needs something...
What else should I do to help him improve further? A speech therapist ?

Hi hippo78,

Children by the age of 3.5years old should be using between 3-4 word phrases mainly. These phrases should serve social purposes (i.e. making comments, sharing info, asking questions, greeting, pretend play etc) So my questions are:
1) Is he using his language socially?
2) What kind of word does he have in his vocabulary (i.e. location, actions, descriptives, pronouns etc)? Ideally we should be seeing a good variety of the word classes mentioned above.
3) Does he use words to make requests?

If he is not engaging socially, using limited language and have poor eye contact, it is recommended that you seek the help of a trained speech therapist. Good luck!

Jia

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Speech and Talk | Helping your child communicate
speechandtalk.com
 
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Hi all my name is Alexis and i am an american ( from baltimore, maryland USA) married to a singaporean. earlier this year my hubby got posted back to singapore and after reading this forum I am just blown away by all the support you singaporeans give to each other. my son is special needs ( really special needs ) and it has been a challenging time for the whole family since we need to adjust to a new educational and cultural system. i must say my son had a very tough time as he has physical issues as well. well to cut the story short i just want to thank my mother mdm A, ( she wont let me use her real name) she has given me so much support by taking care of adam when i am busy or working. Mom understand my problems and is so empathetic, she cooks and cares and even source this great educational therapist cum occupational therapist. I dont know how she managed to get him to provide home and educational therapist. my son is still struggling with the singapore curriculum but at least he has his head above water and surviving ( glad to say he passed his exams by the skin of his teeth). Thanks mr K . I hope that you ladies out there with helpful people around you like great mother in laws and educators be thankful and dont take them for granted. an of course thank you to my loving husband PT
 
Hi all.

I have been following the discussion in this thread though have not been actively posting. My boy is also diagnose to be on the spectrum though I hate to have that label on him. I'm determine to remove the label off him.

My boy is also diagnose at KKH, but sorry to say that, I don't find them helpful in addressing my concerns and needs. They are just too focus on diagnosis and not able to provide me with good solution to help him. Moreover, the waiting time is very long.
I decided to take charge by doing researches online, joined whatever relevant forum/discussion groups that can be find in this cyberspace. From the information, I customised the therapy programme for him. He is now going through private ABA therapy, speech therapy and full day childcare with 'normal' peers. I also DIY occupational therapy for him to improve on his fine motor skills. I let him do threading, cutting, playdough and writing- His gross motor skill is so far quite ok.

I find that ABA therapy is very helpful for my boy. He was totally non compliance- walk around during classes, no eye contact, ignore teachers call etc... basically he was living in his own world. He was transformed after 6 months of therapy. Not only he complies to adult instruction, he is also very eager to learn, so that helps in his speech therapy and also make it possible for me to do OT with him instead of spending money on professional.

His speech is still way behind as compare to his peers, but is improving.
i agree that these therapies classes are very expensive. Not only that, running around for classes is also very tiring for caregiver. Anyway, whether they will eventually able to remove the label and lead a normalise life, we will never know, but at least we try our best lor
How old is your child then?
 
HI, Ying Ying, my son-3years old is attending the class. he is doing good, i think the center has very structured method, and teachers know what they are doing. only my problem that I faced time to time is the lack of communication, update late etc.. but generally the school is okay, my boy now can talk well, can read/write ABC, numbers until 30, but still lots of challenges in social intaraction/communications etc.. Good luck
Hi Kai, which school and where is your child attending. I am a father and my girl is having a suspected problem. Thanks. From Lim
 
Hi 2x mum,

kath is right.. ABA actually stands for applied behavioural analysis. Usually kids on the spectrum needs motivation to learn, therefore, they will be rewarded with tokens when they complete a task. My boy is like 'the count' in sesame street i.e he is obsessed with numbers. This technique works perfectly on him, since he gets to collect more tokens to count.
Now I apply the same technique when teaching him new things.

by the way, how do we judge if our kid is verbal enough to attend social program? Mine was totally non verbal half a year ago, now he is able to use 2 words and make simple request like 'on light', 'mama help me', 'not yet', 'don't want'. rest of his speech is still echoing. His speech therapist told me his window of speech/language burst is opening, therefore she is suggesting that I send him to social classes to promote conversation skill, while she focus on training his oral motor and articulations. But his ABA therapist suggest that I wait until end of the year before signing him up for social classes.

Hi kath,

I can related your experience on train. Mine also do his public meltdown but at shopping centres when we stop by a shop or waitng at queues. He invited lots of stares and disapproved look from the public. I remember there was once he did his usual meltdown at centrepoint, one family of 5 stop by and stare at us, while I tried to restrain him. The kids were eating ice-cream while watching 'live performance' by me and my son. It was very embarrassing but I just smile at them when I finally keep my boy under control.
Yup, must learn to be thick skin, since the only way to overcome the behaviour problem in the public by continue to bring him out
Hi Mother, which school does your child atrend? My kid is suspected autistic. I am a sad father.
 

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