Post your comments below.

Challenges:

1. Might be overwhelmed with the process to apply a school for my child with added needs.

2. If in mainstream school, other students might not understand my child's condition, leading to isolation/bullying.

3. Are the teachers in the school willing to go the extra mile for my child, knowing how schools in Singapore are striving to achieve excellence in academics.

Needs:

1. Clarity and guidance on navigating the education and school support system.

2. Consistent support across teachers and school.

3. Assurance that my child can form friendships and feel a sense of belonging.

Support I Need:

1. A dedicated contact in the school or MOE to help me coordinate my child’s challenges and progress, with transparency and consistency.

2. Workshops to equip me with strategies I can use at home to support my child’s learning and emotional regulation.

3. Programmes to educate other parents and students about SEN to reduce stigma.

4. Guidance on the next steps beyond school such as, vocational pathways, life skills programmes, and employment support, etc.

Challenges / Needs / Feelings:

• Students have a wide range of needs, and the teacher must ensure the class is engaging for everyone.

• It can be challenging to strike a balance — teaching at a level where all children can understand without anyone feeling left out.

• Even with relevant training and a basic understanding of supporting children with special needs, it can still be difficult to apply in real classroom situations, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

• Teachers may feel overwhelmed when a child has a meltdown, while still needing to carry on with the lesson and ensure lesson objectives are met.

• Encouraging other children to be more understanding toward classmates with special needs.

• Teachers may feel lost when trying to support children with special needs, especially when some children cannot explain why they are feeling or acting a certain way.

• Managing parents’ expectations.

Support He/She Hopes to Have:

• Easy-to-implement strategies to support children with special needs.

• A support group where teachers can share both challenges and strategies that have worked, so others can try them out.

• Learning journeys to special education schools to observe practical strategies in action and better understand how to apply them in the classroom.

2. Understanding how SEN officers handle cases and provide support (e.g., in-class).

3. Effective communication with stakeholders to gain support.

2. To understand the expectations by the different stakeholders like parents and caregivers in managing their youths

3. To understand the tools, techniques and strategies commonly used to provide a holistic approach in managing students' challenges

Challenges:

• Making sure students with special needs are not just placed in mainstream schools, but are fully included and supported.

• Some school partnerships feel unplanned and may not give students enough chances to mix and learn together.

• There aren’t always enough resources or trained staff to support special needs students well in mainstream schools.

• Moving from just caring for students to focusing more on their learning, while still looking after their well-being.

Needs:

• More resources and training for teachers, so they can better support students with special needs in all schools.

• More public understanding and acceptance of people with special needs, which can help them fit in better and find future job opportunities.

• Stronger and more consistent partnerships between mainstream and special education schools to give students better learning experiences together.

• A clear plan and ongoing support to reach the goal of true inclusion for everyone.

Feelings:

• Proud and encouraged by the improvements in special education, such as better support and more trained staff.

• A sense that this is an ongoing journey some progress has been made, but there’s still a lot more to do.

• Worried that current efforts might not be enough to meet the increasing needs of students and a lot of pressure will be on SEN officers.

• A shared understanding with parents and others that raising public awareness and acceptance is very important.

I want to answer this question from the students perspective since they are the target audiences for our efforts and initiatives. I feel students would feel confused with different treatment in various situations. Students that require additional support unfortunately come from unsupportive or troubled homes. their parents might treat them negatively, unpatient with their behvaiours, teachers in schools would treat them differently. SEN officers would be more patient and accepting? they might get positive reinforcement for certain actions such as asking questions in school and being more vocal but the same action may bear a different consequence at home. parents might scold them for talking too much.

Imagine a child being praised in school for asking questions, participating in class, or expressing themselves more openly, actions that are actively encouraged as part of their learning and personal growth. Then, when they return home, those same actions might be met with irritation, scolding, or dismissal, perhaps being told they are “too talkative” or “disruptive.” Over time, this sends mixed messages, making it difficult for the student to know which version of themselves is “acceptable” and which is not.

From the student’s point of view, this inconsistency is more than just confusing, it can undermine their confidence, cause them to second-guess their actions, and make it harder for them to trust adults. They may start holding back in situations where they could otherwise thrive, simply to avoid potential criticism later.

_{Challenges/Feelings}

• _{constant feedback from teachers updating of the negative behaviour shown in class.}

• _{frustrated when -ve behaviour of child is being judged and misinterpreted as defiance rather than his/her challenges faced and worried that teachers see the behaviour first, not the child's potential or that he/she needs help with what is expected of them.}

• _{support exists but SEN officers are stretched with large caseload, support for mild behaviour needs can be inconsistent or that believe where student can adapt in class with teacher's intervention alone}

• _{guilt if parents are doing enough at home to support}

• _{parents wonder if inclusivity is real as teachers are stretched and sometimes lack of time to adapt lessons meaningfully whilst trying to cover syllabus as well as managing challenging behaviour and learning difficulties in students}

_Support

• _{structured classroom strategies with the help of visual schedule, movement breaks etc.}

• _{short but frequent check-in to help with organization, emotional regulation & social skills}

• _{class activities that can build empathy within classmates so they see their peers with behavioural challenges/needs are friends and not troublemakers. This can also be helpful reminders to SEN classmates to do what is expected of them.}

• _{frequent collaboration and communication between school and parents in order to find solution and consistency in helping students rather than reporting problems caused.}

How to better support the students with various needs.

What we can do to ensure a seamless learning journey for the students in a mainstream classroom/ setting.

Challenges:

- Inclusivity and being able to fit in with his/her peers

- Unable to get the full support needed when having challenges

- May feel inferior when pointed out to teacher and unable to be understood

- School Curriculum is not at his/her pace of learning

Needs/Support:

- Structured learning schedule/environment for student to follow and understand better

- Approriate visuals/learning supports

- Moral support from those around him/her

Feelings:

- Anger/frustration when unable to understand or 'catch up' with his peers

- Distressed when there is no one who understands

- Anxious when going to school

Challenge/Needs/Feelings:

• How to meaningfully engage child after school or on the weekends

• Frustration when negative behaviour of child outside of home is perceived negatively by the public. It then becomes stressful to bring child out.

• At a loss of how to support the child to integrate into society, especially after the child turns 18 years old

• May feel stretched when child needs more support in other aspects e.g. physiotherapy etc but parent may not have the financial resources/time to do so. Through the public route, the waiting time may be very long.

  
  

Support needed:

• Close working relationship with SEN teacher/SEN officer where they can provide constant feedback and strategies to support child at home

• Strategies to engage child at home/during the weekends meaningfully

• Opportunities for child to interact with neurotypical children, allowing them to learn and practise social skills, at the same time providing neurotypical children opportunities to build empathy and understanding of students with SEN

• A proper pathway that can help my child to be meaningfully employed after 19 years old

Challenges/Needs/Feelings:

• Struggling with the weight of the misconceptions surrounding their diagnosis i.e peer who would not allow student with ASD to hold the knife, believing he is dangerous, might not understand why their peers and members of the public see them that way -> negatively impacting their self esteem and confidence.

• Needing more sustained and structured support to live a meaningful life, especially after they have reached 18 years old.

Possible support needs:

• To teach neurotypical peers about SEN and perhaps give them an avenue to correct their misconceptions, while not putting SEN students on the spot.

• Community members can provide more opportunites for students with SEN needs to have meaningful interactions with others, widening their social netowrks, e.g activites at the community clubs or within their neighbourhoods.

2) strengthen technique using positive reinforcement and evidence-based interventions to create a safe, respectful, and productive learning environment.

3) Learning how to manage challenging behaviours with positive reinforcement, de-escalation strategies.

2. Learn strategies to better cater to students' needs while building an inclusive environment where they feel safe

3. Gain an understanding of how the educational landscape is changing and how existing methods can be refined

I reckon the parent will feel a mix of :

1) worry - that her child is not having an easy time In school and wondering how this may affect his/her mental health in the long run.

2) Frustrated & Angry - Emotions that possibly stem from being extremely worried and fatigued by the worry. Stems from the hopes of the school stepping up and providing support and a safe environment for the child.

The parent would need consistent updates of what is being done to improve the situation for the child. She would also hope to be involved in the process, so as to know how to support the child at home after his experience at school. Constant updates and involvement would help to allay her concerns.

2) How do we identify and support students with specific learning needs, while also prioritizing who might need our help more should the student numbers far exceed the staff numbers.

3) How to and should we recommend more external support like speech or occupational therapy, should the child present with the difficulties.

Challenges:

• feeling discriminated by peers due to diagnosis --> result in not being able to fit in, lack of inclusivity

  • cases of bullying

  • misconceptions of diagnosis perpetuated by peers --> impacting self-esteem

• navigating their own personal challenges due to their diagnosis (emotional, social, cognitive)

• pressure from parents to excel yet still trying to cope with adjustments (from school, puberty, socially etc.)

Feelings:

• inferiority, anxiety, anger or frustration

Needs/support:

• understanding from parents and teachers

  • the need for encouragement and patience from people the student looks up to

• teaching neurotypical peers about SEN so that their preconceived misconceptions can be corrected

  • such as addressing micro-aggression like slurs (e.g using autistic and retard to insult others casually); throwing labels around like an insult

• beyond academic, teach emotional skills to students with SEN so they know how to better cope when faced with potential crisis (building resilience)

Feelings/ Challenges he/she might face:

• High caseloads (i.e., limited SEN officers and many special needs cases within a school) might lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and inadequate. The depth of intervention being offered to each student might also be affected and limited.

• Before true inclusion can really occur, there’s a need to also properly educate teachers, neurotypical children as well as their parents, on what special needs are and what they can expect from their interactions with such persons. People always fear what is foreign to them, so education and awareness is important in reducing the barriers to interaction and acceptance.

• Teachers (perhaps driven by their own KPIs or pressure from parents of neurotypically developing children) might choose the path of least resistance and opt for more quick but temporary solutions such as “time-outs” instead of exploring more long-term solutions like learning how to manage their classrooms and adapt their teaching to children with special needs.  

Support he/she hopes to have:

• Increased opportunities for interaction between neurotypicals and kids with special needs e.g., sports, games, buddy system. Just because they are in the same environment it does not automatically imply that the two groups would want to interact with one another. Thus, there still needs to be school-wide initiatives to help create opportunities for this.

• More training and awareness talks for parents, teachers and students without special needs.

Challenges/Feelings:

• Worried for their child and how they will cope in school, e.g. concerns over bullying, behavioural and sensory needs, potential stigma faced

• Stressed out as they need to cope with caregiving responsibilities on top of their own workloads and other duties

• Confused as they may not be very sure how to support their child with SEN, where to go to seek support in Singapore, or what needs their child has

• Grief as they may find it tough to accept their child's diagnosis

Potential Support:

• Parent support groups for parents with SEN children, for them to have a platform to share strategies on how to better support their children, etc with each other

• Better communication between schools and parents, so as to update parents on what strategies have been trialed in school and work or not work (for continuity at home)

• Tailored list of potential resources for parents

Challenges:

• Unable to share or voice out my challenges in learning (e.g., my learning pace, difficulty understanding certain topics, lack of motivation in certain areas).

• As described in the article, if I were Ms. Chua’s nephew, I would feel isolated, misunderstood, and lonely in a mainstream school because my peers and teachers may not understand that my reactions to certain sounds or actions are not because I am “weird” or have behavioural issues. I am more sensitive to certain sounds or lights, which can be overwhelming for me. I do not always know how to express this, which results in what others see as “weird” actions. These actions can make people afraid of me and lead them to ostracise me, even though I am trying hard to make friends. This leaves me feeling lonely and unhappy.

• Feeling overwhelmed by last-minute changes to schedules or being tasked with group work without prior notice.

• Wearing ear muffs makes me stand out, and others may look at me strangely. To me, wearing ear muffs feels like a label that marks me as having special needs. This makes me reluctant to wear them, even though sounds like the school bell or background noise are so overwhelming that I don’t know how to cope without them.

• My parents do not fully understand my needs and try to make me “normal” by treating me the same way as others. This leaves me feeling frustrated and confused, which they may interpret as emotional or behavioural problems.

  
  

Support I Wish to Have:

• A more understanding and inclusive environment where people accept me for who I am. I am not “less than” others—everyone has different ways of expressing emotions and needs.

• Advance notice from teachers—at least 1 or 2 days—if there will be changes to the schedule or if group work will be required in a lesson. It would also help if they could explain the reason for the change. This gives me time to process and accept it. Sudden changes are difficult for me because they trigger many questions: Why is there a change? What do I need to do? What is expected of me? Where should I go? What do I need to prepare? All these thoughts can become overwhelming.

• Support without labelling. I want help, but I do not want to be labelled as having special needs or have others lower their expectations of me simply because my brain is wired differently. I am capable of achieving just as much as others.

• A programme for my parents to help them understand my needs and how to support me. This can help them accept me for who I am instead of trying to make me “normal,” because everyone is unique in their own way.

• Constant worry if child is coping in school (e.g., feedback from teachers about negative behaviours, challenges faced in class such as sensory needs)

• Caregiver burnt out as need a lot of resources to assist child in coping with school, on top of work responsibilities (e.g., therapy/interventions)

• Denial or stressed upon sending child for assessment and receiving diagnosis

Desired support:

• Parent support group organised by special needs schools/organisations to address parental concerns and work with parents to journey with child (e.g., MINDS)

• Efficient communication with teachers and SEN officer to update on child's progress, and possibly introduce strategies/interventions that worked with child in school and can be done at home too

1. To understand the roles and responsibility of an SENo in a primary school setting

2. To know how to effectively support the students and teachers in the classroom

3. To develop strategies for building positive relationships with students, teachers and parents to foster an inclusive learning environment

Perspective: parent

Feelings:

unsure if my child would be accepted and be integrated in their mainstream schools

concerned about whether my child is receiving enough support in a mainstream school

unsure if my child is keeping up with the other children, or lacking behind

Challenges:

unsure of where to receive the support i require for my family & my child

Needs:

support for my family & my child

knowledge on how to support my child better at home and what has been done to support my child at school

assurance and check-ins from teachers on my child's wellbeing and progress

Support i need/ require:

assurance and guidance from the educators

learning resources wherever possible

information (tips etc.) on how i can further support my child at home/ for school

• expectations of untrained SENo, any certain SOPs to follow, boundaries, what to expect in our day-in-our-life as a SENo

• how SEN may differ from our previous experiences and what we should expect

• how to effectively foster a good relationship between stakeholders to ensure childrens' wellbeing and progress

Challenges/Needs/Feelings:

• despite knowing that the child has special needs (i.e. severe LD) but would really want the child to continue studying in mainstream school so as not to be 'labelled' as SEN student

• what will happened to the child if the parents/main caregiver are/is not around to support (ie. passing on)

• can mainstream schools support/teach every child including SEN students the life skills they needed?

• burnout in caring for the child

• may not have someone or professional counsellor to talk to

Support needed:

• a support group for parents with SEN children

• strategies/guidance from professionals on how to help the children with SEN

  
  

Challenges/ needs/ feelings:

• Learning difficulties - I will need more time to process lesson materials and new concepts taught. Teachers speak so fast and they move to the next slide even before I finish copying my notes. I often end up struggling to keep up with the lesson and feeling stressed.

• Emotion regulation difficulties - Due to stress from school work or pressure to do well, I may feel depressed or have negative self-thoughts about my self-worth.

• Social isolation - I may act differently from my peers and they may not understand me well. I wish to make friends but I am afraid of saying or doing something wrong that makes them laugh at me. I feel that they may be nice to me on the surface but we can't seem to talk on a deeper level. I wish to have someone whom I can call my best friend.

Support:

• I really hope that my teachers and friends can understand that I am not trying to be rude or weird in my speech and actions. It will be helpful if they can slow down during lessons and give me more time to understand the concept. I will be so grateful if my friends can explain to me after the lesson so that I will be able to catch up.

• I wish that there will be a safe space in school for me to manage my feelings when I am feeling overwhelmed. It will be great to have a trusted adult that I could talk to and guide me in processing my thoughts so that I will not spiral into the negative self-thoughts.

• I yearn to be truly loved by my classmates and build genuine friendships with them. I do not want friends who are "forced" to be my friend just because the teacher told them to. I hope they accept me for who I am and still enjoy having my presence.

1. To learn about the challenges that students with special needs face in a mainstream environment.

2. To develop skills to support the students’ learning.

3. To learn how to set healthy and professional boundaries while supporting students.

Challenges:

• Stigmatisation from other peers due to misconception of diagnosis

  • being labelled or perceived as "lesser" due to special learning needs

  • Might have difficulties making friends

• Due to stigmatisation, media representation etc. --> develop insecurities and negatively impacts self-esteem, perception and confidence

• Pressure from parents to succeed academically although may still be struggling to cope with own difficulties (eg. puberty, emotional and social challenges)

• Coming to accept own diagnosis/ challenges while not pigeon-holing themselves into the label

Support:

• Understanding from figures whom they respect (ie. teachers, parents, school leaders)

  • Given empathy and understanding might help their self-esteem and possibly be given guidance

  • Can be through programmes such that the various stakeholders can understand more and learn how they can support within their own capacity

• Teaching neurotypical peers about SEN/ diagnosis such that misconceptions would not spread further and empathy can be build as well

  • micro-aggressions such as using slurs (ie. retard, autist etc.) being used as a derogatory term should be addressed if possible as well

• Having a support/ safe room where emotions can be regulated or calmed

• Structured support for learning and emotional needs (eg. counsellors, SENOs, after-school programmes to aid learning)

- The classroom physical structure/seating arrangements make it hard for me to focus, especially when the environment is noisy/distracting.

- Unable to follow lessons that move too quickly or in ways I can’t follow, which makes me feel lost.

- Getting teased, judged, and the misconceptions of my behaviour.

Feelings:

- Feeling isolated and fear being judged/misunderstood/excluded.

- The fear of falling behind academically and in making friends.

Needs/Support:

- Learn strategies to regulate my emotions, communicate my needs, and interact with others, appropriately.

- An inclusive, understanding school environment where using sensory supports or taking regulation breaks (at appropriate time and place) is acceptable.

- A safe space in school to regulate my emotions 

- Teachers who can adapt the pace and structure of lessons and provide a calm, supportive learning environment.

- Check-ins to discuss how I'm coping emotionally, academically and socially.

Challenges:

• Difficulties in balancing the general needs of the classroom vs the student with special needs

• Feelings of inadequacy at not being able to handle meltdowns etc.

• Pressure from parents

Support:

• A support system (teachers, parents, SEN officers) who can help each other and provide the necessary support

• Personalised strategies and resources (Important for these strategies to be within the capacity of the teachers and something that can be easily implemented into current routines!)

• Psychoeducation on specific learning needs so that they are more aware of the challenges and supports required by the student

2) To better understand the role and expectations of a SEN officer in the school settings - to communicate with the stakeholders more efficiently

3) To be able to create a safe and inclusive environment for the students

2. Understanding of the partnership between stakeholders

3. Collaborative relationships between stakeholders

• teachers can get overwhelmed finding ways to manage students and to explore varies way to get the students overcome certain things as they have different learning abilities, behavioral issues etc.

• Does not get the ample support from stakeholders and often felt that we are not doing a "good" job in handling such cases. Therefore, resources should be available for them when the time comes.

• Programme or workshops that not only educate teachers but also stakeholders as they will also be playing a big role in the student's life. Example, "how to manage a meltdown", "how to help a child's regulate his/her emotions etc".

Challenges:

• Differentiating the symptoms or behaviour and provide relevant strategies to support SEN students

• Classroom management

Needs:

• Resources

• Support from SENO, counsellors and school leaders

• Additional training

Feelings:

• Overwhelmed by the SEN students’ behaviour in the classroom

• Confused

• Anxious

Kind of support he/she hopes to have:

• Knowledge or training to support SEN students

• Information on identifying the “diagnosis” or challenges the SEN students may face in the classroom

• Strategies to guide the teachers to provide holistic support for SEN students to cope in a mainstream settings

Having difficulty with supporting student with SEN despite going through training

Feelings:

Stress, overwhelmed, decrease in moral

Needs:

Strategies for teachers that can be modified to suit current situation