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 as 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)]

Currently, all primary schools have been staffed with at least one AED (LBS) to support students with mild special needs. 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). ( Table 1 )

The new primary school, Cantonment Primary School which will be open in Jan Y2011, will be staffed with one AED (LBS) in mid-2011.

AEDs (LBS) may support students with mild special needs in the following ways:

• in-class support;
• small group specialist remedial lessons;
• small group skills training (e.g. social skills, study and organisational skills);
• individual or small group remedial support for academic subjects; and
• case management and other administrative duties.

They work with the teachers to support the students with mild special needs.

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.

10% of teachers in each primary school will be trained in the area of special needs to enable them to better support students with mild special needs by 2010. 20% of teachers in each secondary school will also be trained by 2012. Since 2005, about 2900 teachers have undergone training in special needs. The next phase of training has begun in June 2010.

TSNs would be able to:

• provide individual or small group support to the students with mild special needs in their class;
• 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
Canberra Secondary School	North	No	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
Fuchun Secondary School	North	Yes	No
Hillgrove Secondary School	West	No	Yes
Jurongville Secondary School	West	Yes	No
Kent Ridge Secondary School	South	No	Yes
Loyang Secondary School	East	No	Yes
MacPherson Secondary School	East	Yes	No
Marsiling Secondary School	North	No	Yes
Montfort Secondary School	North	No	Yes
North View Secondary School	North	Yes	No
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
St. Gabriel’s Secondary School	South	No	Yes
St. Hilda’s Secondary School	East	No	Yes
St. Patrick’s School	East	No	Yes
Tampines Secondary School	East	Yes	No
Teck Whye Secondary School	West	Yes	No
Westwood Secondary School	West	No	Yes

This information is accurate as of June 2010.