Forum: Strengthen support in mainstream schools for children with different learning needs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Follow topic:
I am the mother of a six-year-old child with autism. He attends a private mainstream pre-school.
Like many children on the autism spectrum, my son requires additional support to participate meaningfully in a mainstream classroom. From the start, we were told a shadow therapist to provide one-on-one support in the classroom was necessary.
Shadow support in pre-schools is meant to be temporary, and gradually reduced as the child gains skills and confidence.
But when the director of the therapy centre my son attends did a classroom observation, she noticed that my son was left largely under the care of the shadow therapist throughout the school day.
She explained to the teacher that a shadow therapist is meant to support the teacher rather than replace her. However, the teacher said that even though she was willing to try, it was difficult for her to take on additional responsibility due to the number of children in the class.
Because this approach remained unchanged, it was not possible to gradually reduce or fade out the shadow support, which is a key part of helping a child build independence in a mainstream setting.
Inclusion is not simply about physical presence but about belonging. And belonging requires a two-way adaptation: the child learning to navigate the school environment and the school adapting to accommodate the child’s differences.
True inclusion requires investment within mainstream settings – by building capacity within regular schools so that support for children with different learning profiles is part of the system, rather than dependent on parents engaging private help like a shadow therapist.
This can include smaller teacher-student ratios in some classes where children with additional needs are enrolled, as well as trained learning support educators who are embedded within the mainstream pre-schools and primary schools.
Teachers need time, training and institutional backing to collaborate with learning support staff, receive training and implement differentiated teaching strategies. This reduces reliance on shadow therapists and allows support to be gradually adjusted as the child becomes more independent.
If we truly want an inclusive Singapore, we must strengthen shared spaces where all children learn, grow and belong together.
Caryn Lim
