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Essential Foods for Kids- Bridging The Gap

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Essential Foods for Kids- Bridging The Gap

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Parents should be aware about the food they are feeding to their kids as the food the kid eats is responsible for their overall development. Visit the website to know more about the essential food for children.

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The best way to save and share inspiration.

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Why Children Should Be Encouraged to Play with Playing Blocks - Bridging The Gap

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Why Children Should Be Encouraged to Play with Playing Blocks - Bridging The Gap

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Playing blocks are very simple toys which are very effective in the holistic development of the children. They have many benefits like enhancing physical and mental development. Visit the website for more information.

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The best way to save and share inspiration.

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Bridging the Gap offers Bullyproof Program to instill the children the unshakable confidence so that they can overcome bullies without violence. This is open to all the children ages 5-13 years old. Visit the website for more details.

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Cases of bullying have been rampant around the world. Many cases are from schools which involve our children. Many students miss schools due to fear of bullies. This is why in Bridging the Gap, we have our Bullyproof Program to instill our children the unshakable confidence so that they can overcome bullies without violence. This is open to all the children ages 5-13 years old.

We will teach our children to use verbal assertiveness to deter bullies and several non-violent self-defence techniques to stay safe if physically assaulted. Importantly, we don't teach how to punch or kick, since this often does more harm than good. Instead, we use leverage-based control holds to neutralize threats without violence. Numerous school districts have embraced the defensive nature of the Bullyproof program techniques as a reasonable, nonviolent response to bullying.

The bottom line is: we will prepare your child to defend themselves against bullies without turning them into one.

The Bullyproof program prepares your child using a three-pronged approach:

Increased Awareness: Harassment comes in many forms. Sometimes, a victim doesn't take a stand because they can't differentiate between "joking" and "bullying." We teach your child to differentiate between harmless play and harmful harassment so they know precisely when and how to act in each circumstance.

Unshakable Confidence: A confident child is a Bullyproof child. Bullies seek "easy targets" - those who will tolerate their abuse. We arm your child with the tools needed to overcome physical, verbal, and psychological harassment, so they are so confident in themselves that no bully will try to harass them.

Total Responsibility: We prepare your child to deal with bullies without turning them into one. We emphasize discipline, responsibility, and respect throughout the course, and teach five "Rules of Engagement" to ensure they never abuse their power.

The Rules of Engagement
The five "Rules of Engagement" are regularly rehearsed in class so that children will never abuse their power and, equally important, they will not hesitate to take a stand when abused by bullies.

Rule 1: Avoid the fight at all costs.

Rule 2: If physically attacked, defend yourself.

Rule 3: If verbally attacked, follow the Three T-steps (talk, tell, tackle).

Rule 4: Never punch or kick the bully, establish control and negotiate.

Rule 5: When applying submissions use minimal force and negotiate.

Although we discuss the Rules of Engagement in Bullyproof classes, we strongly encourage you to discuss the Rules at home to assure your child that they have your support in the event that they need to take a stand against bullying.

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Cases of bullying have been rampant around the world. Many cases are from schools which involve our children. Many students miss schools due to fear of bullies.

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Occupational Therapy Sensory Activities - Bridging the Gap

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Occupational Therapy Sensory Activities - Bridging the Gap

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Bridging the Gap offers occupational & sensory activities that evaluates the child’s abilities and then develops an individualized treatment plan for the child to reach his or her potential. Visit the website to know more.

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Occupational Therapy enables children to reach their developmental milestones in the areas of:
▪ Gross and fine motor skills
▪ Balance
▪ Body awareness
▪ Motor planning
▪ Sensory processing
▪ Visual motor skills
▪ Behaviour
▪ Self-care

We will tap all areas mentioned above to enhance their quality of life. Therapy in a sensory gym is invaluable in providing the environment that is fun and non-threatening to a child.

An Occupational Therapist first evaluates the child's abilities and then develops an individualized treatment plan for the child to reach his or her potential.

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Occupational Therapy Singapore Occupational Therapy enables children to reach their developmental milestones in the areas of: ▪ Gross and fine motor skills ▪ Balance ▪ Body awareness ▪ Motor planning ▪ Sensory processing ▪ Visual motor skills ▪ Behaviour ▪ Self-care We will tap all areas mentioned above to enhance their quality

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Early Intervention School in Singapore- Bridging the Gap

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Early Intervention School in Singapore- Bridging the Gap

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Bridging the Gap offers individualized intervention programme to assist children with unique learning challenges, transit smoothly and confidently into mainstream schools. They provide a schedule of activities that lays the foundation for the demands of formal schooling and its curriculum.

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Sensory Play in Singapore - Bridging the Gap

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Sensory Play in Singapore - Bridging the Gap

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Bridging the Gap offers a fun-packed sensory programme which provides an opportunity for pre-school children to develop and learn through structured and free play. This includes art & craft, language & literacy, music & movement, dramatic play, gymnastics & fitness and manipulative exploration. Visit the website for more details.

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Sensory Activities for Children's Development - Bridging the Gap

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Sensory Activities for Children's Development - Bridging the Gap

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Through social skill learning programme of Bridging the Gap, they would hand in hand build your child’s social competencies in a very fun and meaningful way. Their set fun learning activities for modeling the expected skill, role playing and much more. Call +65 6909 2170 for more details.

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Trained Early Intervention Teacher in Singapore - Bridging the Gap

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Trained Early Intervention Teacher in Singapore - Bridging the Gap

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Shadow Support Teachers of Bridging the Gap are trained and equipped with dynamic, clinical skills, working alongside with Speech Language Pathologists, Professional Therapists and Educational Psychologists to provide an effective solution to the learning needs of our students. Visit the website now!

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A fully trained shadow support is an asset to the student who otherwise would have trouble fitting in and adapting to the mainstream school environment.

At Bridging the Gap, we aim to support our students with learning and behavioural difficulties to integrate successfully and function independently in mainstream environment. We will help our students develop appropriate behaviours in schools and equip them with strategies to manage and cope in various settings. Creating situations where our students can practise social skills, guiding them to develop and maintain friendships.

Our Shadow Support Teachers are trained and equipped with dynamic, clinical skills, working alongside with Speech Language Pathologists, Professional Therapists and Educational Psychologists to provide an effective solution to the learning needs of our students.

Benefits of Early Intervention Teacher In Singapore

We firmly believe that there are great benefits from having an inclusive education as it aids our children's development and growth. However, to maximise these benefits, it is necessary that the child receives appropriate support and service.

Our shadow teaching programme aims to fade off the support as the student's skills improve. Fostering competency and independence of learning, the shadow support can be weaned off at the right moment.

The duties of our Shadow Support Teacher are:

to facilitate skills that enable the student to pay attention to classroom settings and instructions.

to help the student develops and displays appropriate classroom behaviour.

to help the classroom teacher understand the student's challenges and learning differences.

to provide support in completing classroom tasks and activities only when necessary.

to help the student to achieve goals designed in his/her IEP (Individualized Education Plan) by implementing accommodations and modifications rooted from the school's curriculum.

to ensure that the speech language therapy and occupational therapy goals are implemented in the classroom situation for better results.

to regularly update the parents, classroom teacher, the case manager and the rest of the team on the student's progress.

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Trained Early Intervention Teacher In Singapore A fully trained shadow support is an asset to the student who otherwise would have trouble fitting in and adapting to the mainstream school environment. At Bridging the Gap, we aim to support our students with learning and behavioural difficulties to

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Early Intervention Courses Singapore- Bridging the Gap

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Early Intervention Courses Singapore- Bridging the Gap

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With the help and support of Bridging the Gap’s team of professional therapists, they provide exceptional early intervention programmes that go beyond typical classroom learning, paced at the learning curve of each child, so that their journey will be a personal experience of growth and transformation. Visit their website now!

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Clinical Director - Janice Tay, our founder, holds a degree in Statistics & Finance and has been working in a financial institution. Janice herself is a mother of pre-maturely born child with developmental delays. Having such challenge, she was inspired to put up our early intervention center.

She is consummately passionate in providing a holistic education for children with special needs. She has a great empathy for this group of children, and desired to help them to integrate well with the society. Having experienced for herself what it is like to have a child with special needs who struggled in a mainstream school environment and facing many rejections from the people around them, Janice hopes to fill the gap that no other schools and enrichment centres can offer.

She studied Educational Psychology and attended courses such as ABA Therapy, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia to equip herself in supporting her son and now to extend her helping hand & heart to other kids with special needs. Additionally, she has since been working with children in one-to-one setting, providing tailor-made therapy curriculum according to the specific needs of children.

Presently, she assumed the role of Case Supervisor in providing regular case supervision for children in regards with their Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP).

Educational Therapist - Nina, holds an Advanced Diploma in Special Education from College Allied of Educators. Her love for children paved the way in educational field. She served as the licensed gym instructor providing Movement Therapy for children who are specially-abled for 5 years now in a multi-sensorial gym.

She handles children with special needs ages 2-15 using various techniques and strategies she has acquired throughout her years of teaching. These polished her skills in handling diverse children in this century. She firmly believes that our multi-sensory gym provides stress-free environment and is effective for children with challenges where they can process information more efficiently with less frustration and anxiety.

Educational Therapist - Dani, holds Bachelor of Elementary Education Major in Special Education from University of Santo Tomas, España Manila, Philippines. A licensed professional teacher since year 2015 and had volunteered on private and non-profit organizations, attended seminars and workshops aligned with Special Education Program. She also accomplished Basic Sign Language Course from LINK School for the deaf in Manila, Philippines.

Her first years of teaching experience was honed in a private special education school catering pre-school to 4 th graders diverse children with special needs. Her skills acquired made her known for creative ways of teaching. Additionally, she has offered dance and movement therapy for children ages 5-12 as she believes that this helps children to reduce their stress, improve self-confidence and enhance mobility & muscle coordination.

Educational Therapist - Max Lee, holds a degree in International Business and previously held posts in multinational corporation but paved his way in educational field as he was inspired by his son who was diagnosed with having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Global Developmental Delay (GDD), among other disorders. He has accomplished an Advanced Diploma in Special Education from College Allied of Educators.

He has been serving specially-abled children in a multi-sensory gym for several years now.

Apart from that, he has been collaborating with EDIS Cares, a Corporate Social Responsibility of Economic Development innovations Singapore (EDIS), TOUCH Community Services (TCS), Prison Fellowship Singapore (PFS), Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN), FaithActs, Beyond Social Services, Club Rainbow (Singapore), The HEART Enterprise etc., providing them sensory integration fitness sessions that help children develop their skills across all domains and fundraising activities.

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BTG Team of Educational Therapists Singapore

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Clinical Director - Janice Tay, our founder, holds a degree in Statistics & Finance and has been working in a financial institution. Janice herself is a mother of pre-maturely born child with developmental delays. Having such challenge, she was inspired to put up our early intervention center.

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Sensory Exploration Activities for Toddlers- Bridging the Gap

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Sensory Exploration Activities for Toddlers- Bridging the Gap

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Bridging the Gap, the baby sensory in Singapore allows children, infants & toddlers to adapt to routines and structured activities that encourage a natural interest of learning in children. Visit the website for to know more about them.

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* 3 years to 4½ years

* A progression from the Playgroup programme where there are more key components added for the children to engage in fun learning. The pre-school setting allows children to adapt to routines and structured activities that are engaging to increase children's competence in the developmental areas and encourage a natural interest in learning.

* Core programmes include: art & craft, language & literacy, music & movement, dramatic play, gymnastics & fitness and manipulative exploration.

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Nursery -Fun-learning Activities for Pre-School Children * 3 years to 4½ years * A progression from the Playgroup programme where there are more key components added for the children to engage in fun learning. The pre-school setting allows children to adapt to routines and structured activities that are

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Early Intervention Teacher in Singapore - Bridging the Gap

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Early Intervention Teacher in Singapore - Bridging the Gap

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Bridging the Gap work towards an inclusive society where everyone including (CWSN) children with special needs can make a difference. They offer a sensory gym which provides wonderful opportunities to enhance their physical & cognitive skills. Visit their website now!

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Early Intervention Centre Singapore Company Profile Bridging the Gap unleashes each child's hidden potential so that they can maximize their strengths, cultivate better self-esteem and bring out the brilliance of an unpolished gem. We made it possible with customized intervention programmes that go beyond typical classroom learning, paced

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Sensory Activities for Infants in Daycare- Bridging the Gap

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Sensory Activities for Infants in Daycare- Bridging the Gap

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Improve the physical, cognitive and emotional skills of your child with the baby sensory & preschool in Singapore at Bridging the Gap. They organize parent participation and independent classes to help the child develop a greater level of confidence and self-esteem. Visit the website now!

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Quality Programmes

Each week, My Gym offers programme geared to children's growing needs. Over the past 30 years, we have established ourselves as the leader in our industry - with more than 300 locations in over 30 countries. We are singularly focused on what is important : the experience we provide your child every week. As your child grows and progresses through our programme, we continually introduce new activities to challenge him or her accordingly. You can always count on a noncompetitive, nurturing experience, not to mention a totally fun-filled and exciting one too!

Physical, Cognitive and Emotional Development

My Gym Kids grow by leaps and bounds. Physical benefits include increased strength, balance, fitness, coordination and motor skills. The children develop socially as they interact with their teachers and others their own age. Body awareness, teamwork concepts and valuable sports skills are gained naturally. Most importantly, My Gym Kids develop a greater level of confidence and self-esteem in any of the thousands of weekly classes we offer. Come learn why My Gym is the Worldwide Leader in Children's Fitness.

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Each week, My Gym offers programme geared to children's growing needs. Over the past 30 years, we have established ourselves as the leader in our industry - with more than 300 locations in over 30 countries. We are singularly focused on what is important : the experience we provide your child every week.

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Early Intervention for Children with Autism- Bridging the Gap

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Early Intervention for Children with Autism- Bridging the Gap

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At Bridging the Gap, they work with a team of qualified educational specialists, speech and occupational therapists to bridge the physical, cognitive, social & psychological gap in children. Visit their website & discover about the special needs preschool in Singapore now!

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Janice and Max Lee, with their two children, Emmanuel, 8, and Isabelle, 12. The couple run a children's gym in Buona Vista and recently launched an early intervention school called Bridging the Gap. Photo by Rachel Phua.

Janice Lee had the perfect life eight years ago. A decent income as a financial advisor. A high-flying husband, Max, who worked at a multinational corporation (MNC). A daughter, Isabel, who, in Janice's own words, is bright, independent and sensible. In fact, she was "so perfect" that it changed Janice's earlier dislike of kids.

But her second pregnancy caused Janice's world to come crashing down.

She gave birth to a premature boy who had multiple conditions. Emmanuel could not express himself properly and often had meltdowns. He was later diagnosed with having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and global developmental delay, among other disorders.

Even the pregnancy came at the wrong time, says Janice, now 39. She was at the peak of her career, and chafed at being stuck in hospital six months into her pregnancy.

"It's really sad to see cases at the gym when the child is slow and the father scolds the child, 'Why can't you do it?'"
Janice was struck by how cruel God appeared to her. Why was He taking her on a sadistic joyride?

Struggling to cope with Emmanuel's challenges, her family stopped going to church three years later in 2012.

Janice and Max were having difficulties finding a pre-school that would accept their son. Even the church disappointed them, she says. They thought that Sunday School would be a place that "protected" Emmanuel, but the leaders were not equipped to take care of children with special needs.

Six months later, Emmanuel suddenly "shut down". "Despite multiple therapy sessions, for half a year he didn't want to utter a word or respond to anyone," Janice recalls.

She gave up. Rattled and exhausted, Janice went back to the altar, and surrendered her bitterness. She sensed God assuring her that He would make a way.

Janice playing at the ball pit with her two children. Despite Emmanuel's multiple conditions, he is now enrolled in a mainstream primary school. Photo by Rachel Phua.

Building empathy

In 2014, Max wanted to spend more time with his children. The 44-year-old had always adored kids, so he decided to quit his job to run one of the My Gym's branches, a children's gym franchise. From the beginning, the couple chose to enrol children with special needs.

They saw how the gym was a place where children with special needs played alongside their able-bodied counterparts. The latter learnt to support and relate to their new friends.

Parents who once complained about Janice and Max's arrangement to integrate the classes, began to sympathise with their kids' buddies. It was a lesson on empathy that the couple wanted to inculcate even more widely.

They considered opening a pre-school modelled after Kindle Garden, an inclusive kindergarten by AWWA.

In April this year, the couple launched Bridging the Gap, an early intervention school for special needs children with the aim of integrating them into mainstream kindergartens and primary schools.

Janice and Max wanted to provide children with a more holistic education that also develops the special needs children's literacy and numeracy skills, while recognising that gym lessons enhanced their psychomotor and social skills.

Their school is unique as daily gym classes are included as part of the curriculum, with the opportunity to exercise with non-disabled children.

Janice says that these classes are important to the child's development as physical activities help to train a multitude of skills, from their discipline to movement control.

"Children with special needs don't know how to control their body. They need to learn how much force they should apply on others and how to balance themselves. We need to develop their spatial orientation and posture as well."

Each child is individually evaluated when they first enrol, and reassessed every six months. The school has a one-teacher-to-two-students ratio, and is open to children between two and eight years old.

Bridging the Gap currently has seven teachers and therapists in total, including four who are trained to work with special needs children, and two more who specialise in early education. Fees are between $4,800 and $6,000 per 12-week term for each student.

They have plans to expand Bridging the Gap into an inclusive pre-school in five years' time. They say that it is important to cultivate empathy from a young age, so that non-disabled people know how to relate to and work with special needs individuals, instead of ignoring or even bullying them.

The number of children diagnosed with developmental issues is rising, and so has the number of special needs students in mainstream schools, from 13,000 in 2013 to 20,000 in 2018.

God with us

"Before Emmanuel was born, my ego was huge. Big is too kind. I was a boss at the MNC. I was brought up in an environment where men mustn't cry. When my grandmother died, I didn't shed a tear.

"Meeting this boy broke it down severely."

They are learning to trust God in their journey to help families with special needs children, says Janice, quoting
__ Isaiah 58:10-11.

Like many fathers, Max was in denial about Emmanuel's conditions at first. He could not understand why he, normal and healthy, could produced a child so different.

"Men have this pride. They say, 'I don't have any history of disorders in my family, so my child should be fine.'"

His heart gradually softened, through taking care of his son and the other children at the gym. But he says some men still cannot come to terms with their children's condition.

"It's really sad to see cases at the gym when the child is slow and the father scolds the child, 'Why can't you do it?' They can't understand that the child needs help."

Max teaching Emmanuel how to use the pull-up bar. Max says that watching his son grow up has stripped away his pride and given him a new heart for children like Emmanuel. Photo by Rachel Phua.

Janice and Max say that in fact, Emmanuel's situation has brought the family closer. They have become more affectionate and patient with one another.

Material comforts have come to mean less to the family, as they cope with financing Emmanuel's needs and running their own business.

Most of all, they are learning to trust God in their journey to help families with special needs children, says Janice, quoting Isaiah 58:10-11.

Janice recalls one night, before Emmanuel was born, when she and Max were trying to choose his name. Max wanted to name him Bruce, after his martial arts hero. Janice said he was crazy and wanted to call him Isaiah. So they prayed and slept on it.

The next morning, the first word out of Max's lips was "Emmanuel". Janice smiled. "Yes, that's the name."

And it is true, Janice says of her son's namesake. "God is always with him. He is always with us."

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Special needs son inspires early intervention school

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Janice and Max Lee, with their two children, Emmanuel, 8, and Isabelle, 12. The couple run a children's gym in Buona Vista and recently launched an early intervention school called Bridging the Gap. Photo by Rachel Phua. Janice Lee had the perfect life eight years

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Sensory Play for Babies and Toddlers- Bridging the Gap

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Sensory Play for Babies and Toddlers- Bridging the Gap

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Encourage your children to explore objects using the different senses at the baby sensory play centre of Bridging the Gap in Singapore. They use multi-sensorial materials & techniques that stimulate the children’s learning. Visit the website for more details.

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Sensory Play Activities for Toddlers, Babies & Children with Special Needs

Messy, gooey, sticky, rough or slimy... these are what some people think when we talk about sensory play but that is where sensory experiences are made of. The learning pace and the retention of our children actually depend on how many senses are engaged. In short, the more senses they use, the more they learn and the more they can remember it.
(Children enjoying the blue sand together with dinosaur toys and even a yakult cup.)
Let's say for example our sense of sight - if they see that the clouds are gray, they would have the thinking that it will rain soon. For sense of smell - if they smell a rose, they would remember that their grandmother's perfume smells like rose too. So, the transfer of learning is taking place too.

Naturally, our children are very curious about various things. They tend to explore and get excited to experience something that is new to them. They are scientists who would experiment and explore anything that they see in their environment. They pick flowers, collect sticks and climb trees. They also fall down while riding bicycles or even watch a worm crawl. These are all learning experiences.

Today, many children are into indoor games. Watching television, video and computer games are some examples. These may stimulate their visual and auditory learning but its too fast paced which don't allow them to self-regulate. Thus, resulting to feeling pressured in school or at home.

The Importance of Sensory Play Activities for Toddlers, Babies & Children with Special Needs

Why is it important? How does it help in the over-all development of my child? What can kind of sensory activities can I prepare for my child?

Sensory play activities include any activities that encourage the children to explore materials or objects using the different senses. These activities can simply be coloring, painting, watering plants or even digging soil. Some parents may refrain from doing these activities, as it can be very messy but through simple rules and considerately prepared environment, children can benefit from it.
(Use of clay and cutters is always fun as the clay has a very soft texture which the children use in forming different objects.)
What can I use for Sensory Play Activities?

Preparing sensory play is as easy as can be. There is no need to buy materials as you can find many things in your house. Go to your kitchen and find plates, cups, and containers. Go to your garden and use pots, soil, small shovel and stones. Our children can be as imaginative as they can be. They are very creative that they can turn any simple material to something interesting.
(Dyed pasta using red and blue food coloring with plastic bowls, tweezers and spoon.) (Cooked pasta used as a paintbrush.) (Big container, fill it with water, put some seashells, hand-made boat, sea animal toys - letting the children feel that they are in the beach.)
Over all, let us remember that every child their own pace of learning. It doesn't take a day or week to explore. It takes time. Eventually, our children will connect to their senses, which will encourage them to be more engaged with the environment. They would learn how to regulate themselves, share their ideas and discover new information. The most important part is that they would find joy and eagerness for learning.

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WHY ARE SENSORY PLAY ACTIVITIES IMPORTANT?

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Sensory Play Activities for Toddlers, Babies & Children with Special Needs Messy, gooey, sticky, rough or slimy... these are what some people think when we talk about sensory play but that is where sensory experiences are made of.

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Child Speech and Language Therapist in Singapore- Bridging the Gap

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Child Speech and Language Therapist in Singapore- Bridging the Gap

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Bridging the Gap - autism child speech therapists make sure that they provide the children with efficient therapy session where they can play, have fun and at the same time concurrently develop their speech and communication skills. Call +65 6909 2170 for more details.

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Child Speech Therapy By Qualified Speech Therapists in Singapore Speech Therapy can help children with speech difficulties, such as articulation, pitch, fluency and resonance issues, learn to speak clearer. This will help them feel more confident and less frustrated when speaking to others. Speech Therapy also focuses

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Language Classes for Toddlers- Bridging the Gap

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Language Classes for Toddlers- Bridging the Gap

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As one of the leading educational therapist in Singapore, Bridging the Gap educational therapy by special needs teacher to teach children skills and strategies & help them manage their learning or attention issues and improve their academics and self-confidence. Visit them now!

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Educational Therapy is a customized intervention programme which helps children with learning difficulties. A qualified special needs educator uses multi-sensory methods such as manipulatives, games and other activities, to teach children skills and strategies to help them manage their learning or attention issues and improve their academics and self-confidence.

We make sure that we develop a programme that will cater and facilitate the learning of our students with different learning difficulties. Providing them with safe and nurturing environment will help them develop their skills and appropriately interact with peers and also with adults.

Once the child is ready for mainstreaming, we would ensure a collaborative approach by building a positive working relationship with the teachers and other professionals so best support will be given to our kids.

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Educational Therapy by Special Needs Educator Educational Therapy is a customized intervention programme which helps children with learning difficulties. A qualified special needs educator uses multi-sensory methods such as manipulatives, games and other activities, to teach children skills and strategies to help them manage

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Early Intervention Programme In Singapore- Bridging the Gap

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Early Intervention Programme In Singapore- Bridging the Gap

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At Bridging the Gap – a private early intervention centre in Singapore, they offer a 3 or 5 day intensive programme which equips children in the areas of development & design multi-sensory activities for toddlers, babies & children with special needs that would maximize the growth in each area of development.

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Early Intervention Programme in Singapore for Children With Special Needs Our early intervention programme in Singapore provides child speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational therapy, social skills training, multi-sensory activities, preschool readiness programme and much more to help young children with special needs, develop their

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Bridging the Gap - Early Childhood Development Intervention

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Bridging the Gap - Early Childhood Development Intervention

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Bridging the Gap is one-stop early childhood development intervention centre for children with special needs. They use a variety of effective early intervention programs to help your child overcome their developmental disabilities, learning and communication impairments. Visit their website now!

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If your child has special needs, a developmental delay or learning challenges, - Bridging the Gap is the perfect place for you.

We are "one-stop" intensive intervention service centre for children with special needs. With the help of our team of early intervention educators who have dedicated their careers to support children with special needs, we give our children the same opportunities that all toddlers and preschool children enjoy. We use a variety of effective early intervention programs to help your child overcome their developmental disabilities, learning and communication impairments. Our customized early intervention programme provides educational therapy, physical and psychological support to help young children with challenges, develop their potential and overcoming their developmental delays. Our qualified special needs educator uses multi-sensory methods to improve academics and self-confidence of toddlers, preschoolers, babies and big kids too.

Our integrated intervention programme in Singapore consists of school readiness programme, child speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational therapy, social skills training, multi-sensory activities for toddlers, babies etc. These customized intervention programmes provide quality learning, leisure and recreational care for students in a warm, safe and caring environment.

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Early intervention centre in Singapore. Bridging the Gap is a private school in Singapore for children with special needs. With a team of skilled therapists, we provide educational therapy, speech therapy and more to assist children with unique learning challenges.

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Why is Inclusive Environment Beneficial to our Children - Bridging the Gap

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Why is Inclusive Environment Beneficial to our Children - Bridging the Gap

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Preschool-aged children usually have separation anxiety from the parents as it is a big step for a child to be outside of his or her comfort zone. Hence placing them in an inclusive environment would be most beneficial to them. Visit the website to know the reasons why!

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Empowering our children with words and lecture will never be enough once they get involved to an actual bully. This is why in Bridging the Gap; they offer their students our Bullyproof Program, which will allow them to protect themselves from verbal or physical bullying. Visit the website for details.

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BULLY. A 5-letter word that comes in different forms but can have the same destructive effect to a human being. It's a harmful word pertaining to person that can damage one's heart, mind, body and soul. It's very detrimental that at worst cases, it can lead to different emotional & mental disorder, even death. A bully would never choose a victim. It can be an adult, it can be an 8-year old kid, it can be your sister, or it can be you.

Just recently, there is an Australian boy named Quaden Bayles who was bullied by his classmates in school because of his case of having "dwarfism". The mother uploaded a video online showing how his son, Quaden, wanted to take his life because of too much bullying. Imagine these words coming from a body of a small 8-year old. It is devasting and heartbreaking to him expressing his struggle of being bullied. This is just one story that was exposed to the world. There are a million more cases of bullying. Not to mention the number of people who are bullied and chose to remain silent.

The whole world is aware that bullying is a huge problem. This problem is something that cannot be solved overnight. Bullying can happen anytime and anywhere. It can happen at home, at work or at school. This can also happen to anyone. This is why parents are now more alarmed and more particular in choosing a school environment where their child can safe.

Empowering our children with words and lecture will never be enough once they get involved to an actual bully. This is why in Bridging the Gap, we offer our students our Bullyproof Program, which will allow them to protect themselves from verbal or physical bullying.

Below are concrete "Bullyproof" steps to fight against verbal and physical bully:
VERBAL BULLY
When a bully comes and ask for your money, here is what you should do.

Learn how to say NO! Bullies will test you how far you can give in to them. The more you let them manipulate you, the more they will bully you. So, learn when to say NO!

If bullies still won't stop, distract them by clapping just in front of their face. But don't attack them!

Once they're distracted, try to disengage them by hugging their lower body so they can't harm you as you are in control of body. And remember, don't hit or attack. Just always prevent yourself from being hurt.
PHYSICAL BULLY
Some bullies will just straight away push you and hurt you physically. They would use their strength as they want things to go their way. So what must you do for situation like this?

If a bully pin you down, keep calm and find a way for you to distract him.

Hold his arm and secure his wrist in this position shown in the picture. One hand across holding wrist and one hand on the arm. Hold it tight, don't let go.

Find the perfect timing to disengage the bully. Always aim to be on top or in front of him so you can have more strength to be in control. In this way, you can easily prevent the bully from punching or hitting you.

Don't be scared. Show the bully that you know what should be done and that you know how to protect yourselves. This will surely stop them from bullying you.

These are just some of the ways that our Bullyproof Programme can offer. There thousands more ways to call yourself or your children, BULLYPROOF!

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BULLY. A 5-letter word that comes in different forms but can have the same destructive effect to a human being. It's a harmful word pertaining to person that can damage one's heart, mind, body and soul. It's very detrimental that at worst cases, it can lead to different emotional & mental disorder, even death.

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3 Self-care Tips for Special Needs Parents - Bridging the Gap

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3 Self-care Tips for Special Needs Parents - Bridging the Gap

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Parents tend to put their children and family first, leaving little time and effort to invest for themselves. Still, it is also important for parents to learn how to recharge making it more effective to raise a child with special needs. Read the blog to know about self care tips for parents.

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Being a parent entails a thousand of responsibilities. You will be in charge of raising an individual from birth until adulthood. You are to make sure that they get to live the best life you could offer them because all parents want what is best for their child. Parenting is very rewarding and fulfilling especially if everything is going well with the child's development and well-being. However, this is not the reality because each parent is given a unique child. Some are typically-developing but some with special needs. If being a parent is tough, then being a parent of a child with special needs is even tougher.

We have heard a number of sentiments and experiences from parents with special needs kids. We are all aware that being a parent with special needs means having unique responsibilities, stressors and rewards. It requires having more emotional stability, patience and understanding. Every day is a challenge to these parents as they have frustrations and limitations which lead them to feel like they are isolated and most of the time, tired.

Parents tend to put their children and family first, leaving little time and effort to invest for themselves. Still, it is also important for parents to learn how to recharge making it more effective to raise a child with special needs.
Below are 3 simple self-care tips for parents with special needs kids:
We are all aware that demands of being a parent is really never-ending. From waking up, to putting your child to sleep, these are all taking your time, and this can be very draining. You need some rest. Everyone needs rest so that you can face tomorrow with more energy and strength.

Having "me time" doesn't have to an out of a country trip or a full day spa. Having me time means having an extra minute to do what you love. Do you like coffee? Have your favorite coffee every morning. Do you like photography? Pause for a few minutes, take your camera and capture moments. Do you like writing? Have a journal where you can write about your thoughts or emotions. These little things will allow you to disconnect from your care-taking routine so that you can recharge yourself.

MOVE YOUR BODY, EXERCISE & EAT HEALTHY

This is no secret. Everyone is aware that exercise has many benefits not just for our physical well-being but also for our mental and emotional health. Exercises does not mean you have to be a member of a gym and do cardio activities all day. Being healthy does not also mean you just have to eat fruits and all day. This is all about balance.

If you bring your child to school in the morning, have a short walk after dropping them in school. Do grocery and pick nice and fresh fruits and vegetables. If your child is very active, do sports together. You can go to the park and play frisbee or you can also join them in the playground.

There are many ways to keep our bodies moving. This can also be more fun if we do this with our kids. Play with them, move with them and be active with them.

Do not be afraid to ask for help. Raising a child with special needs is given a very difficult responsibility and having a support system can be very crucial to a special needs family. Regardless of your race or religion, it is better to have a group where you can share your experiences, where you can empathize and where you can build relationships. You can seek comfort because sometimes it is okay to not be okay. It is okay to seek help. It is okay to share your stories. It is very tough to be a special needs parents but that is okay.

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3 Self-care Tips for Special Needs Parents

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Being a parent entails a thousand of responsibilities. You will be in charge of raising an individual from birth until adulthood. You are to make sure that they get to live the best life you could offer them because all parents want what is best for their child.

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Center Precautionary Measures against 2019 Novel Coronavirus

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Center Precautionary Measures against 2019 Novel Coronavirus

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2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been the talk of the town for the past few weeks. Therefore, precautionary and preventive measures should be well observed as this is a serious case especially for those who are common to have low immune systems (children & elderly). Read the blog for more details.

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2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been the talk of the town for the past few weeks as the said virus has been dispersed to more and more countries each day. This said virus is a respiratory virus that was first identified in Wuhan, China. People are alarmed as this large family of viruses which are common in many species of animals have been infecting people.

As mentioned by the World Health Organization, the symptoms of the said virus include the following:

Fever

Cough/Colds

Shortness of breath

Breathing difficulties

However there some rare and sever cases that can cause the following:

Pneumonia

Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Kidney failure

Extreme cases: death

Therefore, precautionary and preventive measures should be well observed as this is a serious case especially for those who are common to have low immune systems (children & elderly). Parents have stopped sending their children to school and most of the people in Singapore are already wearing masks especially in public and crowded places. This is why schools and other institutions are now more particular with all the preventive measures.

As part of our center's mandatory precautionary measures, before letting a child/parent in we would do the following:
1. Completion of Health Declaration form from the Parents

Parents must declare if they intend to travel overseas, or have returned from overseas from the past 14 days

If there are symptoms of the virus as mentioned above

Declaration if friends / relatives have travelled to Mainland China and visited them

2. Temperature Check

If temperature falls 37.8 and above or have any flu-like symptoms, we will request the student to better stay home and rest.

Temperature checking is observed every hour

3. Sanitization of Hands 4. Checking of Hands and Mouth
If all are clear, then we can allow the student to enter our center. However, constant checking of temperature and washing of hands are observed at most, every hour. This does not only go to our students but also to all our teachers.

There is no harm for being extra careful as we are after the well-being of our children.

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Center Precautionary Measures against 2019 Novel Coronavirus

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2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been the talk of the town for the past few weeks as the said virus has been dispersed to more and more countries each day. This said virus is a respiratory virus that was first identified in Wuhan, China.

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Parents nowadays have been very cautious and particular with their children’s development. Read this article to know the tips to encourage babbling for babies.

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Parents nowadays have been very cautious and particular with their children's development. This is probably because majority are more aware of the signs of being delayed. One of the most noticeable would be speech development. Some parents may be alarmed whether their child got speech or language delay, but some may think that their child has his/her own development pace. Both are correct. Both are possible. However, there ways to encourage our child to babble from infanthood until early childhood age.
Tip # 1: Hold you baby close (Infants and young babies)
This is something scientific. Newborns and infants can only see the distance of 8-10 inches. This is just the perfect distance when you are holding your baby in your arm. All babies are actually born with "Mirror Neurons". It is something in the brain that tells a person to do what they see. This is basically copying. If you are holding your baby, and you're talking to them, even if they're too young or they don't have the oral motor skills or muscle strength to create those sounds yet, their brains are recording what they're seeing and hearing. When the time comes, and the muscles are ready, they're going to start copying whatever they have recorded while you were talking to them closely. If you baby doesn't want to be cradled in your arms, you can talk to them while lying down on bed. You can also talk to them while eating. Feeding time is a good talking time.
Tip # 2: Babble at your baby
This might be a bit odd or uncomfortable for some people but this actually a wonderful thing for your baby. Some may say that they talk to their baby in full sentences, and that is good too. But, the thing is, your baby is recording and watching while you talk. When you babble at them from time to time, you would notice that they become more interested in watching your mouth move while you create different sounds. You can always mix real words and babbling. Choose words that are easy for your babies to try and copy.
Tip # 3 Babble back at your Baby
Once you hear you baby babble, copy the sound. Babble back at them. It will encourage them to make more sounds. This will reward them and would want to create various babbling sounds every time you babble with them. You can copy their way of babbling but change the tone, make it a bit louder. This is because this will spark your baby's interest and will challenge them to create more sounds. You can also make it longer, slower or even faster. Do it as creative as possible. This will make your baby laugh and this is actually a start of conversation already.

These are just some ways that will help your babies to babble more!

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Parents nowadays have been very cautious and particular with their children's development. This is probably because majority are more aware of the signs of being delayed. One of the most noticeable would be speech development.

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All children either at home or in school need some type of routine, a way to get things done and a sense of security. Read this article and “Find out why routines and schedule matter.”

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All children either at home or in school need some type of routine, a way to get things done and a sense of security. While change is a learning opportunity, it can also be stressful for children. Find out why routines and schedule matter.
What is a Routine?
It is basically what we do every single day. Everyone needs it. Either child or adult, everyone has their own routine that needs to be followed across different settings: school, home or work. Routines help to establish a structure on how to get things done every single day. This is very critical to toddlers and pre-school aged children as they are yet to learn how to follow structured activities. And to have a routine, a schedule must be followed.
What is a Schedule?
It is the planning of a day by time and activities. Children may understand it as a routine, a way in which they learn what are expected of them to do within a day. This is to help them know what will happen and will not happen for the whole day. Often times, teachers create a daily schedule that the children are to execute until it becomes a routine. As this is done consistently on a daily basis, the children can easily settle in and get used to it.

Why do Routines and Schedule Matter? 1. Schedules and routines gives sense of security.
It is important for children to know what's coming next. They need to know what is expected of them to do for a day. If the schedule is consistent, children learn the pattern. Once a pattern is set children can infer, for instance, that after circle time is gym session and after gym session is snack time. In this way, there will be lesser anxiety. Remember that inconsistency and the "unknown" may cause emotional reactions. They may cry or become more irritable if there is no routine. This will help them trust the teachers more, especially when they just started school. It'll help them understand that adults will take care of their needs on a regular basis.
2. It helps with the children's social, emotional and cognitive development.
Children who have established routines are often more engaged with the teachers, peers and their environment. With routines, they are slowly becoming more independent as they are able to learn to anticipate what to do next. Routines help them know how to transit from one activity to another. Turn taking and sharing skills can also part of the routine. You can sing "clean up song" or "sharing is caring" song so that these skills will eventually be part of them. This age-group are proven to learn through structure and repetition. Every part of the routine is important this is why it should be done consistently. However, if change must be done, it is better to explain it to the children beforehand.
3. Everyday routines are full of learning opportunities.
Routine starts upon arrival of the children, to putting the bags down, to finishing the lesson, and up to the dismissal time. Every small part of the routine is significant. However, either big or small, each part can be used as teachable moments. Let's say during snack time, we can explain to the children the importance of washing of hands before and after eating. If given a chance, we can let our children brush their teeth and explain to them the importance of taking care of our teeth. While eating, we can ask them to share the food to classmates. When they are eating fruits and vegetables, emphasize to the class that eating these food will make them stronger and will make their bodies healthier. And mind you, this is just during snack time. There are millions of things we can share to our children during their routine activities.

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All children either at home or in school need some type of routine, a way to get things done and a sense of security. While change is a learning opportunity, it can also be stressful for children. Find out why routines and schedule matter.What is a Routine?It is basically what we do every single day.

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The Power of Play - Child’s Learning And Development

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The Power of Play - Child’s Learning And Development

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Play is central to your child’s learning and development. Read this article to know how different kinds of play help in developing skills in all areas of development: cognitive, physical, communication, and social/emotional.

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After a whole day in school, we often ask our kids "what did you do in school?" And they would often say, "I played in school." Most of the parents might think, "Why only play? What lesson did you discuss today?" Let's not misunderstand our children. This is because our children learn through playing. Let them enjoy, let them be successful in playing. They are kids, and it's their job to play and have fun.
What is play?
Play is a childhood occupation. All children play! Either indoor, outdoor, marbles or even sand these are all kinds of play. It is a language of the children to express their interest, express their feelings and express how they want to be in the future. Most importantly, it is a constructive process for children to learn. We always say, "experience is the best teacher." It is indeed true! Play is an experience. It provides stimulation to the different senses (sight, smell, touch, hear & taste). It is flexible and motivating. Playing has no rules or boundaries. When you play, you create your own story. It is also pleasurable, and it involves active engagement.

Children are naturally playful. If they have the open opportunities to follow their curiosity, do what they enjoy, and discover the world around them, they will definitely succeed. Without it, their development will be affected.
Why is play important?
Play is central to your child's learning and development. When your child plays, it gives her lots of different ways and times to learn. These are the reasons why:

Play creates opportunities for children to cultivate and practice new skills important for their development. When children play, they are developing skills in all areas of development: cognitive, physical, communication, and social/emotional. They practice and reinforce these skills in a way that can't be achieved through worksheets or screen time.

Play creates a situation for social interaction and language development. Through play, children learn how to get along with others, even the difficult ones. They learn how to adjust, how to take turns and how to respond to different situations while playing. They'll learn how to negotiate and compromise. It will help them realize what feels right and what doesn't. Also, they would learn how to respect the boundaries of others.

Play keeps the body healthy! Play promotes healthy habits by actively engaging children in the world around them. When children walk, run, jump, hop, manipulate toys - it strengthens their gross and fine motor skills. This will help them with their body balance and coordination. Having physical activities can also be beneficial to mental health.

Play helps our children to know themselves more. They will discover their own power, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. During play, children often have opportunities to solve their own problems that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do. They will realise their own resourcefulness, creativity, power, and their ability to organise the environment to meet their own needs.

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After a whole day in school, we often ask our kids "what did you do in school?" And they would often say, "I played in school." Most of the parents might think, "Why only play? What lesson did you discuss today?" Let's not misunderstand our children. This is because our children learn through playing.

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Engagement of Toddlers & Pre-School Aged Children

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Engagement of Toddlers & Pre-School Aged Children

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Read this article to know “How to Increase engagement of toddlers & pre-school aged children?

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Toddlers and Preschool-aged children have a very short attention span. At their age, they are curious and eager to explore. They would shift from one activity to another activity when they get bored. One moment they are so engaged with lego blocks and the next moment, they would just go roam around the classroom and find another toy to play with. This is because learn best through hands-on activities and concrete manipulatives as they cannot yet grasp abstract concepts. Teaching this age group is not easy as the engagement should be the top-priority. If they aren't even looking at you or not even participating, then you better look for ways that will keep the kids interested. Teachers must think carefully. How do you put all these facts into play when planning your lessons and implementing them in the classroom?

Here are ways you can do to increase engagement of toddlers and pre-school aged children:
Pre-school aged children learn best through repetition. Setting a routine will help them retain what they have learned. From going in the room, putting their bags down to washing hands until they go home. Establishing a structure is the first thing needed to do during the first month of classes. This is one of the toughest phase because school in an unfamiliar setting, which means everything is out of their comfort zone. It takes time and a lot repetition before a child can settle in.

The first month is always the crucial part and it is important to not change your schedule. You cannot change any routine or the students will get confused. One way to help the children understand a routine is through a visual schedule. Print a photo of the different activities you will be doing for a day. This will not only help them see what is expected for the day, it also help for smoother transition.

Some children can settle in fast but some may not cope even a month has passed. But that's okay. When you set a routine, you have to be patient as this is essential in holding these children's attention all throughout the class. Once the routine is learned, everything else will follow smoothly. However, it is a must to remind them from time to time.

Given that pre-schooler's attention span is very short, teachers must always be prepared with series of activities for a day. On average, each activity must be limited to 10-15 minutes. It is already a big achievement if you can engage pre-schoolers for 20 minutes or more. From going in and having the kids explore and have free play to structured activities, everything should be planned. This is because when pre-schoolers get bored, they might start to wander around and we don't want that to happen.

Teachers must also take note, when doing an activity like arts and crafts, some children may finish faster than others. Therefore, there must always be back up activities for these children so they'll still be pre-occupied with something while waiting for others.

As you progress and you notice improvement in your pre-schoolers' engagement and attention span, you can stretch the time limit accordingly, too. You know your students more than anyone else. So, you know how to prepare and plan for each learning day

Transition is the process of shifting from one activity to another. And for the record, this is another crucial matter for pre-schoolers. If you are not able to have a proper transition, you may lose the interest of your children. If you ask your children to sit down, don't expect them to sit down right away. If you ask them to clean up, there is no chance they will follow once asked to clean up. Having an interesting transition is a effective way. Sing a "clean up" song, have a sitting down actions, you can also use music and hand movements when doing a transition. This will help them understand that when they hear the clean up song, they would realize that "hey! It's the clean-up song, I better keep the toys" rather than plainly asking them to clean up. Be creative! There are many ways for transition but, this should be consistent.This is proven effective! Plus, it's actually quite fun!

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How to Increase engagement of toddlers & pre-school aged children?

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Toddlers and Preschool-aged children have a very short attention span. At their age, they are curious and eager to explore. They would shift from one activity to another activity when they get bored.

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Benefits of Singing Nursery Rhymes with Toddlers

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Benefits of Singing Nursery Rhymes with Toddlers

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Music such as nursery rhymes can help benefit a child’s learning and development. Read this article to know the benefits of singing nursery rhymes with toddlers.

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"Twinkle, twinkle little star", "ABC's", "Itsy Bitsy Spider" these are just some of the most commonly used nursery rhyme songs at home and in school. These are also the songs that we have been singing for over many years. Be it Mommy, Daddy or even grandma and grandpa, they know all these songs. Which means, these nursery rhymes tend to stick with us even as we grow older - most of us remember all of these songs!

Music such as nursery rhymes can help benefit a child's learning and development. Studies have shown that children who learn nursery rhymes and songs can reap language, learning and social benefits!

In Bridging the Gap, we make sure that we begin and end class with nursery rhymes. From asking the children to sit down, to cleaning up the toys they used and even for coloring pictures, we always sing songs for the children. This is not to distract them but it's a good way to motivate them and to make an activity more fun. Based on our experience, singing songs helps also with transition from one activity to another.

Children have been singing same nursery rhymes over and over again, but how is it really beneficial to our children?

Helps in language and communication development

Teaching our children nursery rhymes is an important part of their language development because nursery rhymes are child's first experience with words. It helps them to learn to speak faster as it aids them to learn and understand different speech sounds which is important for later reading development. Children learn sounds by listening to people speaking around them the moment they are born. What they hear, is what they learn. This helps them to tune in into their environment.

Helps in increasing their vocabulary words

Children develop in their own pace. Their ability to get and use new vocabulary words differ. Singing nursery rhymes is a great way to introduce and teach new words and how these words are put together. Through repetition, it is a good opportunity for children to say words and practice their pronunciation. The advantage is, children love songs which are full of alike sounds or rhymes, and this will reinforce them use the words more.

Singing nursery rhymes can be a great way in enhancing our children's social skills. How? Just by singing together with an adult or with peers is already an opportunity for them to interact and relate with others. Singing these nursery rhymes can also be done with musical instruments. Assign one instrument to each child, sing and play songs together and this is a good way for them to feel that, "Hey! I am making sounds with my friends!" and this will make them feel that they are part of a group. Make it more fun by singing a part of a nursery rhyme, and let then guess or finish the line in the song!

Helps in developing cognitive skills (attention and listening skills)

Nursery Rhymes helps in improving memory, concentration, listening and attention skills. These are essential skills that underpin language development. It is very difficult to read aloud story to small child or toddlers. They tend to have short attention span, and if you're going to read a story to them, we can't expect them to sit down and listen to you for too long. This is why nursery rhymes is special as you can incorporate music with it. You can use different musical instruments or even a puppet making it more capturing for them. It will make them want to listen and pay attention to you.

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Benefits of Singing Nursery Rhymes with Toddlers

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"Twinkle, twinkle little star", "ABC's", "Itsy Bitsy Spider" these are just some of the most commonly used nursery rhyme songs at home and in school. These are also the songs that we have been singing for over many years. Be it Mommy, Daddy or even grandma and grandpa, they know all these songs.

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Tunnels can provide many benefits to the health and well-being of children. Read this article to know the benefits of tunnels to children.

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If you want to help your child to improve their speech then the best way for them to learn how to communicate is through Play. Visit the website to know top 5 toys for speech delay kids.

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Every parent or every teacher has been experiencing different struggles in handling children with or even without special needs. These worries may be because they notice that their child doesn't socialize with their peers or maybe because their child has a very short attention span. These are all challenges that each face but one of the common concerns of the parents or teachers is that the child has a speech delay.

We have seen some heartbreaking moments of the parents seeing their child who can't communicate. You want to know what the child is thinking and feeling but you can't because of their speech delay. You want to help them but feel lost and overwhelmed not knowing the best things to do.

The question is, how many words shall your child use?

12 months (2 to 6 words; other than "mama" and "dada")

15 months (10 words)

18 months (50 words)

24 months (200-300 words)

30 months (450 words)

36 months (1,000 words)

If you think your child is lagging behind, don't wait. Start making progress now. There are many ways on which you can help your child to improve their speech but the best way for them to learn how to communicate is through

Some parents may think it's necessary to buy the battery-operated toys or iPad and other gadgets but it's really not. In fact, low-tech toys that don't require batteries are the best items for developing speech and language as it gives more opportunities for the children to explore and discover the use of these toys which results to more interaction.

So what are the TOP 5 toys to increase speech development?

Any types of blocks or stacking toys is a great way to fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. What's good about blocks is that the children can stack up, make towers, make train, make houses and other things. This can widen their imagination and creativity in building something out of the different shapes. You can also incorporate turn-taking skills by saying "you stack" then, "I stack", "we stack together" and joint attention will take place which means sharing the activity together. This can also practice requesting by saying or signing "more" or "more blocks".

Balloons

If you want your children to be engaged, play with toys or trucks! Most of the children may be a little too fascinated with cars and trucks so this is the easiest way to get their attention. In playing make sure you have a car for yourself and for your child. This is best for back and forth reciprocal play. We can also integrate terms like "push" and "pull" or "give" and "take".

Balloons are very cheap but effective toys for our children. For balloons, you can try to pump the balloon together and at the same time say the balloon is "big" or "small". These balloons are also a great way to introduce colors. Most importantly, you can also give one to two step instruction to the children which can increase their attention and listening skills. For example, you can say, "give me" or "put inside". Incorporating functional words can also be more helpful to them just like "put on" or "take off" which can also be used in "putting on" clothes or "taking off" shoes.

Animal Puzzles

Animal puzzles can be very interesting for the children. The more interesting the pictures are, the more the children will be engaged. For animal puzzles, sounds of animals can be taught. We give our children opportunities to imitate or make sounds of the different animals. Always emphasize sound of the words so that can somehow catch each sound. This is also good for their matching which is an important cognitive skill and also practices fine motor skills in trying to make the puzzles fit in.

Story books

Simple story books or nursery rhyme books will always be a great go-to toy or activity for the children. Make sure to choose which books your children are interested to. When reading, make sure to have more tonal variation, making it more enticing to our children. Make the point the picture, say different vocabulary words, make sound effects, do various hand movements - these techniques will make it more meaningful to our children.

There are thousands of ways to make play more fun and more meaningful. You know your child best so find all possible toys and activities that will keep them engaged and happy. Always remember to be consistent, be patient and progress will follow. Every small progress is still a progress.

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Every parent or every teacher has been experiencing different struggles in handling children with or even without special needs. These worries may be because they notice that their child doesn't socialize with their peers or maybe because their child has a very short attention span.

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Learning through experience at Hay Dairies, Singapore!

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Learning through experience at Hay Dairies, Singapore!

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The Playgroup & Nursery class of Bridging the Gap went on their first field trip for this year. The children, together with their teachers went to Hay Dairies at Lim Chu Kang Lane, Singapore. Visit the website to know about the trip.

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People say that "Experience is the best teacher." This is a fact that everyone can relate to either you are a kid or an adult. Let's walk down on our memory lane during nursery until high school days when field trip has always been a big day for the students. This is the day where everybody prepares what food to bring, what clothes to wear and which camera to use. This is the day where all students gather together and learn outside the walls or vicinity of school.

What makes it special from other days in school? Every field trip day, the students get to experience things that they won't see and learn in the classroom. They will be exposed to a different learning environment which entails new learning experiences. Be it a zoo where they can see variants of animals or even simply a park where they can run on fields, fly a kite, fall down and get dirty. These are all experiences that no one can teach them but themselves.

Just the previous week, the Playgroup & Nursery class of Bridging the Gap went on their first fieldtrip for this year. The children, together with their teachers went to Hay Dairies at Lim Chu Kang Lane, Singapore. The said place is the only goat farm in Singapore supplying fresh pasteurized goat milk to local market.

The children gathered at the center in the morning and all boarded the shuttle together. The drive towards the farm started the curiosity of the children. They sat by partner in the shuttle without their guardian which is actually a big step for them as it is outside of their comfort zone. This is where learning takes place. With all the trees lining up on both side of the road, this scenery is rare in urbanized Singapore. The road may be short, but the surreal drive does make the children explore what's outside the classroom.

Upon arriving, the children wore their excited smiles. The moment they saw the pictures of the goats, the children hastily went down the shuttle. The first thing that the children witnessed was the milking of the goats. They saw how the milk comes out and how it is pasteurized. The good thing about Hay Dairies is that after witnessing the milking, the children can go view and feed the goats. Bags of hay were bought for it to be fed to the goats. Each bag was shared by two kids for them to develop their sharing skills. The kids patiently waited for their turn to feed the goat.

Surprisingly, all were brave to feed the goats. The funny thing is that, after feeding, they even pet and touched the goats. The feeling of the goat's skin and its tongue licking their hands, these are priceless experiences that these children will remember.

After feeding the goats, the children washed their hands before eating their snacks. One of the most fun times is having snack together, sharing food to friends and socializing with peers. Short stories and laughter were shared during the short snack time.

Before heading home, the children the chance drink and experience how the goat's milk taste like. Sadly, not everyone like it but it was worth the try!

Looking forward to more learnings through outside experiences!

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Learning through experience at Hay Dairies, Singapore!

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People say that "Experience is the best teacher." This is a fact that everyone can relate to either you are a kid or an adult. Let's walk down on our memory lane during nursery until high school days when field trip has always been a big day for the students.

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Primary school student with autism reveals to mom he has “no friends” in drawing

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Primary school student with autism reveals to mom he has “no friends” in drawing

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Read the blog and discover how an 8-year-old primary school student with autism explained her mother why he has been feeling depressed in school.

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A mother took to Facebook to share a drawing her 8-year-old son with autism made to explain why he has been feeling depressed in school.

Janice recounted her story yesterday (Jan 9) in a heartbreaking post to Friends of ASD - a Facebook page focused on families raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The son is understood to have mild autism and attends a local mainstream primary school.

The boy came up with the drawing as he could not verbalise his feelings well.

"Mummy I have no friends"

The drawing revealed that the boy was depressed because "nobody wanted to play with him"; even at one time, he was laughed at by his classmates when he slipped on a wet floor and fell.

Janice explained that she taught her son to take the first initiative to befriend a playmate, and to "move on to other children if they refused". Unfortunately, the boy felt discouraged after facing "rejection after rejection in his repeated attempts in finding someone to play with".

"Worse, when he slipped on the wet floor and fell, he was laughed at and no one came to help!"

- Janice, mother of 8-year-old autistic boy

Facebook commenters suggest a 'buddy system'

Facebook commenters were largely empathetic to Janice's experience. Some suggest the school come up with a 'buddy system':

Lack of disability awareness an issue in mainstream schools

Janice claimed that even though the school that her son attends has an allied educator, he receives no support because he only has a mild case of autism.

She further said that whatever education available on disability focuses on differences rather than the similarities shared by all children, including the need to feel accepted.

"Disability awareness is still largely lacking in mainstream schools and whatever meagre efforts there are tend to hinge on what make these children different rather than emphasize on the sameness, that everyone yearns for acceptance regardless of abilities or backgrounds."

Janice went further to talk about the "painful irony" of her son being excluded in what is purportedly an inclusive mainstream education. She said: "There has been a lot of talk about inclusion but inclusion is meaningless if children with different abilities are merely being put in the same place without any genuine form of interaction."

MP calls for Government to set up a "proper support structure"

Speaking in Parliament on the future of Singapore's education system in July last year, Member of Parliament (MP) Rahayu Mahzam - who is a mother to a child with Down Syndrome - called for an inclusive education where all children learn and play within the same setting "but in different pathways". They receive support and assistance based on their needs but have the opportunity to interact meaningfully with others, she said.

She added that research has shown children with special needs show greater speech and language development when they are supported to communicate with their peers.
MP Rahayu Mahzam with her son, Ayden, in a photo taken in June 2018. (Photo courtesy of Rahayu Mahzam)
The Government needs to set up a "proper support structure" along with an improved career pathway for special education teachers. It should offer a curriculum that caters to different needs, paces of learning as well as provide the facilities and resources required, said Ms Rahayu.

"If there is segregation and the children are not treated equally within the same setting, that's not truly inclusive education," she added.

In response, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said the Education Ministry will take the suggestions seriously and study them further.

"We need everyone to commit to this - teachers, schools, parents, the public, employers and the wider society," he said. "Likewise, we have to teach our children with Special Educational Needs to be advocates for themselves. They must learn how to communicate their needs to friends, co-workers, and employers, and to be confident contributors to society."

"Do to others what you want them to do to you."

Janice hopes that all children can be educated with the golden rule, "Do to others what you want them to do to you".

She added: "I hope my son's drawing will serve as a reminder that autistic individuals too have feelings, just like everyone else."

Here's Janice Facebook post in full:
I would like to share a picture drawn by my eight-year-old son who has mild autism and is studying in a mainstream school. He drew it one day after school as he was depressed that nobody wanted to play with him. I have spent a long time to teach him to initiate play with peers and to move on to other children if they refused. But he was so dampened facing rejection after rejection during his repeated attempts in finding someone to play with. Worse, when he slipped on the wet floor and fell, he was laughed at and no one came to help! He couldn't articulate his feelings well so he drew this picture to show me what he had gone through. This is only part of his daily struggles in school. Although his school has an allied educator, he receives no support as he's considered a mild case. He is basically left to cope with the school day on his own devices. This is how a whole day in school feels like for a boy autism - https://themighty.com/2018/06/coke-can-autism-meltdown/.... In addition to the challenges caused by his autism, he has to deal with being excluded. It is no wonder why my boy sometimes comes home and explodes. Sometimes people do not realise how hurtful exclusion is, especially in what seems like inclusion on the surface. It is such a painful irony to be excluded despite being "included" into mainstream education. There has been a lot of talk about inclusion but inclusion is meaningless if children with different abilities are merely being put in the same place without any genuine form of interaction. Disability awareness is still largely lacking in mainstream schools and whatever meagre efforts there are tend to hinge on what make these children different rather than emphasize on the sameness, that everyone yearns for acceptance regardless of abilities or backgrounds. Actually all it takes to educate school children about the decent way to treat others is the golden rule - "Do to others what you want them to do to you." I hope my son's drawing will serve as a reminder that autistic individuals too have feelings, just like everyone else. I appreciate how this dad advocates with a very simple message that speaks to everyone (https://www.facebook.com/imjoshshipp/videos 10155936140784246/). He asks you to connect with the place in yourself when you felt lonely and ask what you can do when you realise and recognise that someone near you is lonely. No one should have to eat alone or spend the whole day in school without a friend, everyday. Contributed by Janice whose son goes to a mainstream primary school.

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Primary school student with autism reveals to mom he has "no friends" in drawing

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A mother took to Facebook to share a drawing her 8-year-old son with autism made to explain why he has been feeling depressed in school. Janice recounted her story yesterday (Jan 9) in a heartbreaking post to Friends of ASD - a Facebook page focused on families raising