Autistic children - Share your experiences here.

Adeline, big hugs to all the mommies in this thread.
Btw, I hv made appointment with novena medical centre next mon to see the psychologist for initial assessment before a full assessment. Will update everyone again.

I did ask about nuh development centre n kkh but my Pd said the wait is long, so I decided on private assessment. I dun want anymore delay.
 


Hi Scrumpee!
My son's 3 going 4 next march. He plays catching. He also plays hide and seek. Might be wrong but don't think the ability to play these games are accurate indicators of Autism cos they can be taught or conditioned to play. Also, at 2, most kids (including "normal" kids) don't really play with their peers. They tend to parallel play.

Don't beat yourself up over the label "Autism". As Tam
mentioned, kids with Autism are sincere and honest, and I
think really lovable cos of their innocence. Once the speech
improves, other problems are likely to iron themselves out. At
21 months, there's lots you can still do to help your kid catch
up and also a lot of time and opportunity for him to improve.
I've seen a couple of autistic kids who make it in mainstream
(when I used to teach in a "branded" secondary school). So
it's not necessarily the end of the world. The kids who fit in
best are those whose parents are open about their disabilities
and accept them for who they are. So, the best thing we can
do is to have acceptance, love and faith. There are days
when I feel like there's no hope but need to remember that if as parents, we give up then how can anyone else help our
kids.

There are great things about Autistic kids, apart from their
innocence. Most of them have an area that they are
exceptionally great at. Look for that and work on it. Many also
have great memories so you'd find that they can start
recognizing letters n numbers n words earlier than their
peers. They are also mainly predictable, so are easier to
handle once u get used to their pattern. Best thing, for me,
now that my boy is finally talking, I know that when he tells
me he loves me, he really does cos Auristic kids mostly don't know how to lie or manipulate! So, try to enjoy your kid as much as u possibly can.
 
Hi yvonne, you are right. They are truly innocent and at times, i'm also worried that he will get conned when he grows up im longing to see my two boys play n fight together n praying for him to acknowlege n call me 'mummy' . This day will come for sure.
 
Hi Adeline

when we first send him to ARC, there was an accessment on his 'play ability'. they have a chart to see what are the things they do at each play level. for my son when he wa 3+ then, his play level is also around 1+. i was then anxious to see what he shld be playing at 3+. the teacher did not encourage me to do that and did not want to give me a copy of the chart. cos she said that foundation skills are more important rather than to 'train' them how to play. eg for hide and seek, as what Yvonne mentioned, it can be trained.. but what's more important is to train him to be aware of other people and his surroundings.. eg, the teachers will always point at one of his peers and say "oh look, what is the colour of his shirt?".. after he is aware, then we can start to let him 'predict' 'what will happen next'.. this is to train him to 'perceive other people's intention'.. once his foundation skills are there, we can start introducing him more social games.

and is great tat he has a bb bro. my boy's best friend is his younger bro after his bro is able to play with him say around 2 yo.. he always brighten up when he see him. he pick up alot of social skills from his bro and they enjoyed playing with each other tho they do fight frequently too..
 
Hi odae,

my son is not attending the actual ICCP yet but he's in the ICE program (2h per week) in that same centre.

It's Presbyterian Community Service at Tampines. U can check them out at
Grow & Glow @ Tampines
Blk 432 Tampines St 41
#01-555 Singapore 520432
Tel: 67838310 Fax: 67864710
email : [email protected]
http://www.pcs.org.sg/iccp.html

The teacher to talk to for ICE program is Susila
 
Hi odae,

for the ICE program, the teacher is actually 1-1 guiding my son through all the normal CC activities, bring him for walks with the class, sit with him during circle time, do art & craft w him etc, while at the same time, trying to get him to interact with the kids. the teacher will also prepare an IEP for him upon discussion with us parents on the areas that we want to work on.

We do see some slight improvements in his social behaviours as well as communication after 2 cycles of the program. He's more able to follow instructions and more willing to take turns. But bcoz of his impulsive nature to just run away from teacher/activity when he sees other things, they found him not suitable to join the actual ICCP yet.

We're currently still continuing the ICE program to see if there's any improvement in his behaviour and whether they will admit him after this run.
 
Hi jevinsmum, what's the diff between iccp vs ice prog? Cdu said my son isnt suitable for iccp placement. Do we need doc's referral to get into ice prog?


Hi mummies here, do you Know which centre is conducting hanen prog? Anyone knows where can i get better price for "more than words" book?
 
Hi adeline/scrumpee,
Iccp is integrated childcare programe where sn kids are integrated w e mainstream class. Very similar to just putting yr child in other cc, except e tchrs in iccp are sped tchr and e environment is sped friendly, ie they,ve schedules, n picture cues etc. But depending on e tchrs evaluation, child may only go iccp for 2-3 full days instead of everyday. The charges r like cc rates but prorated, I think. Haven't cfm that.

ICE program is a 1h program 2x weekly with one tchr specially attached to flw yr child at e cc for e 1h cc actvities while doing some intervention activities depending on e child's IEP (indiv education plan). This is $75 per h n session
 
Hello Tam! My son started attending ARC this year. He was in Makolha and enjoys all his sessions there. Just curious, was your son in Iora?
 
Hi Tam

Thanks for the info on the shops that I can get the craft materials from. Will check them out during the weekends.

Hmmm...what you described of abt your 2 boys seems similar to what mine are nowadays. Lately, my elder son has been playing a lot with his lil bro. Hope he will turn out fine.

We brought him to kk for his OT & ST session last Friday and I had a briefed chat with the OT, seeking her overall personal opinion about my son...and her view given was that she doesn't find my son is autistic unlike the very initial appts with her. She did mention to me that some kids are just more delayed in their developments and especially in my boy's case, he is of small size and has low tone which might result him in reluctant to try out many things plus the delayed in his speech, could be the cause why he seldom play with others. But in anyway, she asked us to proceed with the assessment and whatever the result is, we should not be badly affected by it.

Hmmm...I really hope he'll turn out fine!
 
Hi Jevinsmum

Thanks for sharing on the ICE program.

We had considered the PCS in Hougang and Tampines but ended up we chose Hougang Touch instead as distance wise, it is nearer to our place. We had yet to visit the one in Tampines and unfortunately, CEL only allow us to choose one cenre.
sad.gif
 
Btw, saw some mommies posted here on the ability to play peekaboo or hide & seek.

I remembered the doc at the CDU also asked us this qn during our 'interview'.

Is it really one of the traits? Tho my boy is able to play it since very young age.
 
Update on my boy.

Based on initial assessment by the psychologist, she is leaning towards the possibility that my boy may not be autistic but his speech delay which is a major trait for autism is a concern n want us to start his speech therapy immediately.
And we need to monitor his interaction with his peers when we send him to cc next mth. I m very comfortable with my psychologist. Anyone wants her contact, let me know. She is from Paedetric medical centre
 
To add on, we spent nearly an hour with the psychologist, she asked us questions about my boy and patiently answered all our questions as well. I liked it that she actually observed my boy, giving us her views for every observation she made. She also conducted a test to test if my boy responds to her and told us to keep quiet n see if my boy can engage with her without us prompting.
 
Hi Upie
yes his term 4 is in iora. he was in malkoha for few terms before. is your child going to prep class next year? is he attending mainstream kindy as well?
 
Hi Adeline
my boy will 'run away' for tasks he finds difficult or don't understand.. or maybe he like to play alone. perhaps while he was playing, u can 'play next' to him. then slowly join in..
 
Hi Adeline,
U can call up the centre directly and enquire abt the program. The teacher in charge is Susila and she'll arrange to meet up and explain the program as well as let u select the days/time suitable for you child if there's available slots.
This program runs for 20 sessions i.e 10 weeks and the new run starts from Jan 3 next year. You may want to contact her soon if you're interested so that you can start straight away in Jan if there's vacancy.
 
Hi odae,
Do u mean that you child is already enroled in the childcare at Hougang Touch or is he still on waiting list?

I understand that the waiting list for ICCP is super long and when we 1st selected PCS Tampines with CEL, the reply from PCS was no vacancy, then we requested to change to Chee Hoon Kog at Bedok and they also replied no vacancy. But till now after almost 2 years, none of them actually called me back to tell me I'm next on their waiting list. That's why I ended up going to the ICE program instead, hoping it'd be a backdoor to ICCP.
 
Hi Adeline! U can try this for playtime. I got a couple of those Thomas trains for my boy. He loves rolling the on the floor. Then take another one and play beside him. Slowly try to get the trains to interact - join the magnets or crash the trains - to engage the child. U can also use the trains to teach collies and numbers.
 
Can I check if anyone of you started EIP for your child even if he is not confirmed to be autistic? Is speech therapy counted as part of EIP or is EIP a separate special programme?

Odae
Is your son confirmed to be autistic or still waiting to be assessed? You mentioned your son is low tone, what is low tone?

And on my boy, we discovered something new yesterday. He can recognise words! He likes us to write words on those magnectic boards and read to him. And we realised that before we can finish writing the words like Ear, Mouth, he can already recognise it and touch the relevant body parts. And while we are happy that he made progress, I am also wondering if this is another autistic trait since all of you said they have good memory. I think I am getting paranoid, everything he does now, I will link it to traits of autism.
sad.gif
 
Hi Srumpee
i know a number of kids from ARC who can read very well but not good with verbal.. a mummy told me this is common among autistic children and there is a term for it-- i can't remember. and quite a handful has very high iq above 100. but i thot able to read is very good.. at least no need to worry much about his academics.. i got to send mine to phonics class cos he still could not read very well..
 
Hi Jevinsmum

We are still on the waiting list and even if they do really call us up, we were told that the centre has to do a screening of my child first deciding to accept him.

The CEL staff advised us to give Touch Hougang a call to check on the status if we do not hear them by within 2 mths.

Did you check with the centre PCS or Chee Hoon Kog on the status? 2 yrs is really a long wait...
sad.gif
 
Hi Srumpee

My son is still waiting to be assessed and most prob it will only happen in mid next yr if we continue to Q under the KK CDU.

He is of small skinny built and his muscle tone is consider on the low side. His fine and gross motor skills are only so-so and thus, we have to help him to work on it.

Your child is still very young so it may be too early to say he is autistic.
happy.gif
 
Hi Tam, think i might have seen you before, in the observation room. I went over to the room to have a better view of my child in Makolha and overheard 2 mommies (i think ya one of them) discussing about pre-sch. Remembered you mentioned your kid is at schoolhouse by the bay
happy.gif


My kid is starting his K1 with his regular CCC. He was on the 4-times-per-week prog. Next year he'll be on 2 days. He's 5 next year, and I may keep him at ARC when he's 6 for him to finish his K2, then I'll sign him for the prep class. Your boy is going prep class next year?
 
hi odae,

yes, 2 yrs is a long time and I did check with them recently. both also no vacancies. But i also suspect it's bcoz he's in e moderate-severe ASD range so they don't want to accept him readily. That's y I put him in the ICE program hoping that they @ PCS Tampines can see his improvement and admit him to ICCP eventually.
 
Hi Upie
yes, that must be me! cos i think i'm the only mummy at arc to send him there so far.. yes he is turning 6 so going to prep class next year. hmm.. u mean u will put him at arc when he is at k2? will it delay his primary school if u start prep class at 7? i m very nervous about school opening in less than 2 weeks time.. not sure if he is adjusting to new teacher at k2 and additional daily school at pathlight! seem so stressful on him... n he got to eat lunch early and fast...
 
Tam,

Need to ask you something, my boy is attending AAS (supposed he will be there from 4-6yo), can he still attend the prep class at ARC ? and who will ascertain if my boy is 'qualified' for prep class ?

Thanks
 
Hi momto3
yes, he can still apply for prep class. just need to register him before july of the previous year. the pathlight will assess based on docs submitted as well as group assessment. they will arrange children who registered to come on a day and put them into diff groups of about 6-8 (i think). then 1-2 teachers in the respective group will ask them to do tasks for about 1 hour. they will assess if he/she can follow classroom/group instructions.
iq test is included in the docs to be submitted. the child must score at least 70 for iq test. pathlight only accept certain iq test.. see their website for more details.. the child has to be at least 4.5yo (if i remember correctly..) and the iq test is only valid for 2 years.. hence if registering for k2, then iq test must complete by july in k1. pathlight also conduct iq test but normally very long queue.. other hospital also do iq test, but must check if the 'type' of iq test is being recognised by pathlight.
 
Hi Tam,
Yup, I intend to put my child in P1 at 8 years old. He's still very baby-ish and cries easily, so hopefully, by 8, he'll be able to handle classroom situations better.

Don't worry, I'm sure your child will cope well with the new schedule, with your presence and support. Ya, the lunch part is a worry... pack sandwiches!
 
Hi Adeline
i really think my son, and myself, benefited alot from arc cos they are so professional in autism! i heard from a number of mummies that they did not really queue that long.. and if u r fine with ferrying him, then i really think u shld sign him up at arc.. i'm not familiar with rainbow.. but i thot they are also cater to other special needs..
i remembered one parent thanked me for strongly recommending arc cos their son improved so much after attending only 1-2 terms. i saw them during the social skills session organised by NUH CDU. do try and i'm sure you can see improvements very fast.
 
Hi Upie
yes, u are right.. pack sandwich is a good idea! i always thought of porridge as his lunch... he actually eat anything!
btw, how do u find arc? did your son improve after attending for almost a year? is he considered mild or moderate? maybe u can share with us your experience with arc so that other mummies can use it for reference too..
 
Thanks tam! I will call up cel and ask. Im so vexed! My hubby asked me to quit my full time job to look after my kids. But then finanically we will be very tight and cannot go for more therapies for my asd kid.
 
Hi Adeline
yes is so difficult.. esp you have 3 kids incl one new born.. hope u have a good maid to help out.. when mine was 3+, i also could not really focus on him cos was total bf the bb.. actually now still bf the younger bro.. and i keep changing maids! maybe i am very stressed hence also very demanding on maids... now at times i really close 2 eyes..
if u can get good supports from maid/parents/relatives, then u can actually do the therapies on him yourself. read up on ABA/AVA.. i can email you a pdf on "Understanding Autism on Dummies" if u want.. i also stopped OT/ST cos so ex..but i send him to other interests group eg taekwondo, swimming n violin.. as his attention span is very short, i noticed that OT will try to work on his attention span by asking him to do 'circuit workout' while completing puzzles. he was asked to hold a piece of puzzle then roll, or balance (to work on gross motor at the same time) then fix puzzle. then take another piece again n so on.. hence i thot other kinds of activities can also make him to focus. eg violin to train his fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination.. n much cheaper..
 
Hi Adeline
u can actucally call up ARC directly rather than go thr the social worker. i think is faster. tell them your situations eg cannot find school, a new born bb...
 
Hi tam, wow!!! I must salute you... How old is your bb now? Can you sms me your email or hp# so that i can gv you my email acct? My hp 94312090. Tks
 
Hi tam, you mean i do not need to call CEL? My son also has motor planning delays, sensory integration disorder on top of asd. Hence he is only functioning at 1 years old.
 
Hi Adeline
just sms u liao.
mine is poor body coordination and organisation (eg if he is holding something and need to walk and take other thing, he may not put the thing down to take the other thing; he will walk and continue to hold, then struggle to take more..) .. i m not so sure of sensory integration but he used to look things from the corner of his eyes and occasionally walk on his toes (like ballet dancer!) when he was young.. and like to put things into his mouth..
 
Hi Adeline
he is not bb anymore.. already 3+.. yet still latch on to nurse every night! n he can wake up about 2 times to nurse. hence still need to sleep in with him.. he is 'weaned off' during daytime only...
 

Update on my boy

Today brought him to KK for his first speech therapy or so I thought. End up is another assessment session ??!! I think is a waste of time, why does KK has to assess two times, ask me the same things all over again? So when I ask about the therapy, they asked me to sign up for their It takes two to talk (hanen programme) which teaches the parents on how they should communicate to their children. I am actually expecting the therapist to work on my kid first, then I can follow up with necessary homework when I am with him at home.

I discussed with hubby and we decided to just go for private speech therapy sessions.
 
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