SINGAPORE: A new pilot programme to cater to the varying development needs of children with special needs has been launched for the early intervention programme for children and infants (EIPIC).
It was launched by Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee on Friday (Apr 27) at an early intervention conference jointly organised by 10 bodies which provide the EIPIC.
The programme supports families of children with moderate to severe developmental delays, providing therapy and educational support for infants and young children with special needs.
The current EIPIC service provides for similar standards of delivery but does not provide for differentiated delivery of services for children with higher- or lower-than-average developmental needs, said Mr Lee.
“Some of them may respond better to intervention provided in the mainstream preschool setting, while others may require more intensive and individual intervention at the beginning,” he said.
"We are therefore piloting the development of a continuum of services, with varying intensities of interventions to meet the different needs of children, and flexibility to vary intervention as needed over time," he said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is working with three EIPIC centres to pilot the programme, which will provide flexibility to vary intervention needs over time, said Mr Lee.
He also said that more should also be done to strengthen the support for parents of children with developmental delays.
To this end, more is being done to strengthen an “eco-system of support” for such parents as well as caregivers of people with disabilities, said Mr Lee. He gave an example of SG Enable’s intention to set up a caregiver space at its Enabling Village where peer support activities and training can take place.
GREATER STANDARDISATION
Mr Lee said there is also a need for greater standardisation in the way children are identified for early intervention programmes and to track their progress.
But he said the Government is also aware that it does not want to create a “cookie cutter system”.
“We want some standardisation. On the other hand, we don’t want to stultify creativity and exploration of evidence supported methods,” said Mr Lee.
Mr Lee also noted more needed to be done to support children with special needs within the mainstream pre-school setting.
Last week, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam said that the Government planned to tackle the “serious issue” of inequality from pre-school years, adding that this was one of the most serious issues facing Singapore today.
Demand for early intervention is set to grow as the number of children diagnosed with special needs rises due to greater awareness and testing.
According to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the National University Hospital, 4,000 children were diagnosed with developmental issues in 2015, a 60 per cent jump from 2,500 children in 2010.
CALL FOR ONE CENTRAL AUTHORITY
Mr Lee’s speech comes after a study commissioned by philanthropic organisation Lien Foundation showed that a majority of early intervention professionals who work with special needs children believe that Singapore still has a way to go in becoming an inclusive society.
The survey polled a total of 423 professionals and included views from teachers, therapists, social workers, hospitals and early intervention outfits.
Only 11 per cent of these early intervention professionals believed that Singapore is an inclusive society.
The survey also showed that three in four early intervention professionals saw the need for one central authority to govern and support the sector.
Fifty-seven per cent of them said the Ministry of Education (MOE) should take up the role of ensuring “better allocation of resources and fairer chances” for children with special needs.
Nineteen per cent believed that MSF should continue to oversee the sector. They believed early intervention should focus on the family’s ability to enhance quality of life for a child with special needs.
There were also concerns over stronger integration of services and stakeholder engagement.
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