askST: Will my child with special needs be better off in a SPED school or mainstream school?
Sign up now: Get tips on how to help your child succeed
Children develop at different rates, and some early learning or attention difficulties may improve over time with support.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
SINGAPORE - With more children in Singapore being identified as having special educational needs (SEN), parents are grappling with this decision: Would a mainstream or a special education (SPED) school be a better fit for their children, especially at the primary school level?
When is the right time to seek a formal assessment, and what should parents consider when choosing a school?
The Straits Times spoke to Ms Pearllyn Kang, 34, an educational psychologist at the Dyslexia Association of Singapore, who provided answers.
Q: My child’s pre-school teacher says her literacy and numeracy skills are behind her peers and she loses focus easily. Should I have her assessed for SEN before Primary 1 to decide between a mainstream and SPED school?
A: Children develop at different rates, and some early learning or attention difficulties may improve over time with support.
Lagging in literacy, numeracy or attention should not immediately trigger an SEN diagnosis.
Before pre-schoolers transition to Primary 1, it is important to assess their adaptive functioning skills. These include the ability to independently feed themselves, go to the toilet, navigate spaces and communicate with others appropriately.
If a six-year-old child struggles deeply with these fundamental skills, it could signal challenges in adapting to a mainstream school environment.
In such cases, seeking a professional diagnosis before Primary 1 would help in deciding whether the child should be in a SPED or mainstream school.
Parents can obtain a referral via a polyclinic to a hospital, or explore community partners like the Dyslexia Association of Singapore.
Q: My child has not been diagnosed with any special needs, but his primary school teacher says he is unable to focus and is disruptive in class. Should I get him tested?
A: Being unable to focus and disrupting lessons does not necessarily mean a child has special educational needs.
However, if feedback about such behaviour is persistent, then it is a good idea to seek a formal assessment to understand why the child exhibits these behaviours.
Since parents cannot observe classroom dynamics, a teacher’s consistent feedback can be a useful early indicator.
Parents should engage teachers to find out how their child is doing academically, and what kind of disruptive behaviours the child exhibits in the classroom.
Once they have a clear picture of the issues their child faces in school, parents can consult the school’s SEN officer, who can facilitate a referral to a Ministry of Education educational psychologist or a hospital specialist to help determine the best next steps.
Q: My child just got diagnosed with SEN in Primary 3. Would it be better for him to transfer to a SPED school?
A: A diagnosis does not automatically mean a transfer is required. Many children with mild needs thrive in mainstream schools.
Parents should assess whether their child can cope with the primary school curriculum, and if the school has sufficient resources to cater to his learning needs.
It is also important to consider the child’s social and emotional needs – does he have friends in school, or is he being isolated or bullied?
Speak with your child’s teachers and the professional who diagnosed him, and have a discussion about which environment would best support the child’s overall development.
Q: My child has been in a SPED school for a while, but she is not being challenged academically. Should I move her to a mainstream school to better develop her academic potential?
A: Mainstream schools typically have much larger teacher-to-student ratios (1:30 or 1:40) compared with those of SPED schools, where class sizes are intentionally kept smaller.
Consider if the child will be able to cope without the personalised attention from SPED school teachers, and if she has great difficulty with social interactions and adjusting to new places.
If a child is academically capable but still relies heavily on specialised support in school, the smaller SPED setting may still be the best place for her development.
Decisions should be made in consultation with the specialists in her current SPED school.
