Disability/Early Intervention

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Overview & Synopsis

Knowledge Gaps

Current information mainly focused centered on intellectual disability and autism; do other disabilities face similar issues with detection and early intervention? Eg hearing loss or other forms of sensory disabilities.

Key Statistics & Figures

7,000 children aged 6 and below have developmental difficulties as of 2015

Between 2010 and 2014, KKH and NUH screenings show a 76% increase in children 6 and below with developmental issues such as development delays, speech and language delays, learning difficulties and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

Theory of Change

Diagnostic Touchpoints & Referals	→	Detection, Diagnosis & Referrals
			↘
EIPIC programmes	→			Early Intervention
					↘
						Education

Areas of Needs

Detection, Diagnosis & Referral

Timely Detection, Accurate Diagnosis & Proper Referrals to Follow-Up Services

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Detection This is usually a problem only for less visible disabilities. [Knowledge gap: Where are the places or touchpoints that might detect disabilities	[Knowledge gap: Are early childhood educators equipped to identify clients for diagnosis?] [Anecdote: Some people don't get diagnosed until much later in life, especially less visible disabilities like dyslexia]
Diagnostic Touchpoints Psychologists from the Ministry of Education Professionals from government hospitals Registered educational psychologists (for psycho-educational assessment) Private psychologists	[Knowledge gap: Any issues with accuracy, cost, accessibility, or quality of diagnoses?]
Referrals "Parents whose children are suspected of having developmental issues are referred by paediatricians and doctors from outpatient private and public clinics offering primary healthcare services to the Child Development Units in KKH or NUH for a detailed assessment and diagnosis of the condition" (Singapore CRPD Report)	For caregivers of children with ASD, touchpoints are poorly equipped in advising parents on where to obtain reliable help during the post-diagnostic phase (see page 61 here)	Improve transition management (Recommendation 3, Strategic Direction 1 of EM3) For newly-diagnosed cases, to set up an agency to provide case referral, care planning and advisory services, and to facilitate smooth handover of information to other agencies Includes developing a standardised case management tool between primary support agency and other service providers Enhance network of touchpoints to ensure timely and effective detection of developmental needs (Recommendation 4, Strategic Direction 4: of EM3) To make information and training more available to touchpoints (e.g., family, hospitals, polyclinics, family medicine practitioners, community partners) such as using electronic platforms, training primary care practitioners
Child Development Programme (surveillance and diagnosis components) Provides early surveillance, diagnosis and interim intervention for preschool children with developmental needs, at the critical period of 0 – 6 years of age.

Early Intervention

• Synopsis: While EIPIC serves around 3,200 children with mod-severe special needs, waitlists can extend from 6 months to 1 year. Further, early intervention professionals tend to have high turnover and quick burnout, due to unattractive remuneration compared to the private sector.

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Child Development Programme (intervention component) Inter-disciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Intervention services which include speech and language therapy, Occupational therapy, literacy intervention.
For mild developmental needs Development Support (DS) & Learning Support (LS)	[Knowledge gap: number of such children]
For moderate to severe developmental delays Early Intervention Programme for Infants & Children (EIPIC)	EIPIC Centres have long waiting lists (up to six months or a year) Early Intervention Professionals face quick burnout, unattractive salaries/benefits relative to the private sector and shortage of manpower	Long waiting lists at EIPIC Centres - (1) If disproportionately high at certain EIPIC Centres, to educate and counsel parents on their choice of centre or (2) scale up vacancies
Therapy Community Educational Support Services

Development Support (DS) & Learning Support (LS)

• For pre-school children with mild developmental needs [total number of such children?]
• Support and intervention in areas such as speech and language, social skills, motor skills, behaviour and literacy
• Rolled out to > 300 preschools, > 2,000 children and families, caa December 2015
• [outcomes information on how DS/LS has fared?]

Early Intervention Programme for Infants & Children (EIPIC)

• Therapy and educational support services for children below 6 years with special needs at risk of moderate to severe developmental delays [total number of such children?]
• 21 EIPIC Centres, caa July 2018
• Currently serving about 2,600 children, projected to grow to 3,200 places by 2018
• Enhanced Pilot for Private Intervention Providers to subsidise selected Private Intervention Centres
• SPD - Building Bridges @ EIPIC Centres are at Tiong Bahru, Jurong, Tampines & Bedok served a total of 465 children in FY16/17 - 41 graduated, 27 progressing to mainstream primary and the rest to SPED

Community Educational Support Services

• AWWA Community Integration Service
• Care Corner Educational Therapy Service
• Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS)
• Down Syndrome Association's Children Education Services
• Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA) [confirmation required]
• iC2 PrepHouse
• SHINE Educational Psychology Service
• Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf)
• Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH)
• SPD
• St Andrew’s Community Hospital
• THK Children’s Therapy Centre