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As autism awareness becomes more prevalent, parents now have access to a wealth of information regarding the condition, along with the early warning signs that they can look out for when it comes to their own child. All children develop at different rates, parents should not automatically become concerned if their child does not hit certain milestones right away. Every child develops at their own pace, after all. If, however, you find your child consistently missing milestones by more than a few weeks, then parents are encouraged to seek advice from their pediatrician and or a clinical psychologist, who can guide you towards the next steps for a professional assessment and potential diagnosis. Catching the early signs of autism can make a drastic difference to your child’s development; by equipping your child with the best tools and support to help them thrive, as well as improving prognosis.

Autism Spectrum Disorder, (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that develops during early childhood. The condition can typically be characterised through displayed behaviours such as struggles in social interactions, obsessive/repetitive behaviours, and poor emotional regulation.

ASD is an incredibly vast spectrum, and no one person with ASD is the same and can manifest into varying degrees depending on the severity of the child’s symptoms. An individual with autism can be described as ‘high’ or ‘low’ functioning. Those who are higher functioning can generally manage their behaviour but can struggle in areas such as social interaction and sensory processing issues.

The early years of a child’s life are extremely important in setting the foundation for future development. The human brain grows rapidly between the ages of 0-5 and is the period where research shows early intervention to be the most effective. This is due to the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt, which is why early intensive treatment may help rewire and even improve some symptoms. This does not mean that improvement is not possible should intervention be introduced later in childhood, nor does it guarantee success.

No one knows your child more than you do. As a parent, you are in the best position to observe your child, and by knowing the signs to look out for, you can catch them early. If your child is in daycare, you can set a meeting with teachers to check in on their development or discuss any concerns you have at home to see if the same behaviours are happening in environments outside the home. Again, it is important not to compare your child to other kids since they all develop and thrive at different paces, but any learning difficulties or red flags should be brought up as soon as possible.

Diagnosing autism before 18 is possible but professionals prefer to assess children after this age as they can ascertain a more accurate prognosis. It can also be trickier to diagnose girls as they are four times less likely than boys to go undiagnosed, however, these numbers are improving as we learn more about the presentation of autism in girls.

Here are some of the early signs that can suggest autism in infants and toddlers:

6 months:

It is important to remember that a child with autism can thrive with the right help and support, and it's a matter of helping them navigate the world through their amazing eyes. Today there is a range of support services available, that when used efficiently, can allow your child to flourish. As a special needs school in Singapore, IIS provides a safe and nurturing environment for our kids, where we embrace differences while treating all our students with equal respect.

Our team of dedicated staff is here to help your child reach their potential. Find out more about our dedicated support services here.

Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe is certainly a popular hero on film, but he’s also become a hero to many children with learning disabilities. After speaking out about his difficulty with a simple task such as tying his shoelaces, he went onto share he has a mild form of dyspraxia (or developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD). Those who have this condition tend to find it hard to plan and coordinate physical movement.

Children with dyspraxia may experience difficulty in functioning everyday life skills such as handwriting, typing, struggling to throw and/or catch a ball or cutting with scissors. It may also affect their ability to speak clearly. In adulthood, these difficulties may continue as they learn new skills at home, in education and work (such as driving a car and DIY tasks).

Many people with dyspraxia may also struggle with short-term memory, perception, processing and speech. For example, a person may mix up the steps when completing a task they’ve done before or may not remember what to do first. There are notable signs or symptoms that are commonly associated with dyspraxia:

Children may not be diagnosed until they reach primary school age (6-7 years onwards) because there is no simple test for dyspraxia and symptoms can be missed or overlooked as they may overlap with other possible conditions. As children are still developing their muscular strength, this can also affect their motor skills and capabilities. This is where OT can be very effective as it allows therapists to address sensory processing issues by applying appropriate prompts to encourage children to attempt tasks. One of the main approaches applied in OT is ‘self-regulation therapy’, which is conducted by gradually exposing kids to common sensory stimulation in a controlled, structured, and repetitive way, allowing the brain to adapt over time. The gradual approach of this technique helps to ensure that the body is receiving and interpreting the correct messages from the muscles, while training the nervous system to respond to common sensations and movements in a coordinated manner.

At the Integrated International School, we provide Occupational Therapy under our Support Services. Our therapists will work one-to-one in our purpose-built OT space and focus on specific skill development for children with learning difficulties, while providing advice and strategies to teachers which they can implement and adapt to the classroom setting. This collaborative approach also ensures that everyone including parents are working together to provide the best outcome for the child.

If you’d like to find out more about our special education Singapore Support Services and learning approach at the Integrated International School, please get in touch with our friendly Admissions team, click here to enquire.

In today’s fast-paced society of technological and media advances, children are often portrayed as little adults, and the pressure to succeed can be overwhelming for them. We’re seeing more and more children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Anxiety and behavioural difficulties. These students may be overlooked in bigger schools because of larger class sizes and lower teacher-to-student ratios. If special needs education support services aren’t offered on campus, they can be found outside of school; however, this means more cost, time and effort for both the parents and child.

At the Integrated International School (IIS), as you step into one of our inclusive classrooms, you’ll notice not only the wonderful neurodiversity among students but the teacher-to-student ratio (1:5) and overall class size. With our smaller class settings and tailored educational approach, each student receives the differentiated yet inclusive learning experience they deserve, as well as developing balanced perspectives and a greater understanding of their fellow students.

When IIS was first established over 10 years ago, a key factor that stood out for parents and continues to do so, is our commitment to an individualized education. Here are several important benefits of smaller class sizes and individualization:

A smaller class will ultimately make a more cohesive unit than a larger one. A class of 30 students may encourage the formation of cliques, resulting in students not engaging with each other and often only socializing with whom they are most comfortable with. However, in a smaller class setting, students will have the opportunity to interact with and form relationships with all of their classmates, build strong relationships with their teachers, ensuring that the class is more supportive of each other.

For more information on our classes and curriculum, please contact our Admissions team at admissions@iis.edu.sg or call +65 6466-4475.

At the Integrated International School one of our core school values is “Redefining Success”. We believe that success spans across a wide spectrum of possibilities. We know that no two students are the same, and that no individual child has the same response to learning in every situation – and that’s a great thing. Our focus is to ensure our students aim to achieve the highest level of their own personal definition of success. Everyone goes through challenges and we’ve decided to compile a list of inspiring famous achievers who have certainly redefined success!

Known around the world as the most decorated Olympian of all time and former competitive swimmer, Michael Phelps started swimming shortly after he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). “Growing up as a kid with ADHD, I was constantly bouncing off the wall,” Phelps shared in an interview with Benzinga. “I could never sit still. I had teachers telling me I could never amount to anything and that I would never be successful in life.” His confidence was lacking but with the support and encouragement from his parents, he tried swimming. By turning his boundless energy into a strict training regime, the sport helped him become one of the most accomplished athletes in history.

This Oscar-nominated actress has always risen to a challenge but struggled academically in her early school years. She was diagnosed with Dyslexia at the age of six and remembers never wanting to read books. But with her mother’s support and encouragement that she would be able to read, Knightley became determined to read every single day. In an interview with The Boston Globe, she said, “I drove myself into the ground trying to get over Dyslexia, and when I finished school, I had top grades.”

One of the most successful and renowned artists in the U.K, Stephen Wiltshire was mute in his early years and at age three was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He felt he was unable to communicate his thoughts, feelings and therefore found drawing as a way of expressing himself. Wiltshire continues to practice self-expression through art and his commissions have an approximate six-to-eight month waiting list. His incredible memory for detail catapulted him into the spotlight after videos emerged of his large-scale cityscape drawings that he drew after a short helicopter ride over a New York City.

The famous face behind Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe, has had mild dyspraxia for his entire life but used the diagnosis as motivation to help him become the star in one of the most successful film franchises of all time. Radcliffe explained one of the reasons he became an actor was because he struggled in school and acting gave him the self-confidence he needed. He told an interviewer that he does still have trouble tying his shoelaces and jokingly asked why Velcro wasn’t more popular.

The most successful American gymnast at just 23, Biles was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at a young age and has been on medication ever since. Biles first discovered gymnastics at age 6 and began to pour all her energy into the sport. She has proudly stated, "Having ADHD, and taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that I’m afraid to let people know." With a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals, she is the third most decorated gymnast of all time. It is clear that this incredible athlete still has plenty more success ahead of her.

This British actor is best known for his leading role in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean and at age seven was diagnosed with Dyslexia. Although Bloom’s mother encouraged him to read, his struggles lead him to look for a creative outlet. During this search, he discovered his passion for drama. He learned that reading scripts were a big part of acting and therefore was persuaded to practice reading aloud. Bloom stated at the 2010 Adam Katz Memorial Lecture, “The gift of Dyslexia was that I learned everything forward and backward, inside out, so I was fully prepared. I had to learn everything so that I wouldn’t have stage fright, or the lines wouldn’t fall out of my mind.”

Did you know that approximately 1 in 6 students (in the United States) is dyslexic? That’s equal to 20% of the population! Dyslexia is one of the most common neuro-cognitive disorders in the world and is characterized by weak phonological processing, word recognition and spelling. Those with dyslexia tend to have typical and above average IQ but may fall behind at school due to learning difficulties in reading, time awareness, rote learning, and writing in a grammatically correct manner. Therefore, it takes a lot of time and energy for them to keep up with the rest of the class. This can become mentally exhausting as the amount of effort put in doesn’t reflect the end result.

It’s important to take away the shame associated with dyslexia and embrace a person’s strengths as a key goal to build-up their self-esteem so that they can reach their potential. Many dyslexics are not “broken” and as mentioned above, are often highly intelligent but are wired differently. When accepting that dyslexia is just a part of who they are, the perspective shifts to reveal valued traits and strengths, such as:

There are numerous famous faces who are dyslexic with many in creative industries (music, film, fashion, TV and radio, literature, computer science and the performing arts). Some of those include, Steven Spielberg (director), Jennifer Anniston (actress), Jamie Oliver (chef), Sir Richard Branson (entrepreneur) and Walt Disney (founder of Disney). A common strength seen in dyslexics is their very creative mindset!

They are great problem-solvers who excel at seeing multiple perspectives and making cross-linking connections between the things they notice. They have a “do it-build it-fix it-make it” approach and may discover connections that others have missed. Historically, these types of skills were highly valued and it’s only recently in the past century that the majority of people have been expected to be literate especially now that we live in a heavily texted world.

A study at Yale University observed that a person with dyslexia tends to show more empathy and warmth towards others. They are able to “read the situation” and have a sense of understanding of what is happening for other people in that environment. It’s not clear if this heightened empathy is a result of their brains being wired differently, or because they feel they are defined by their differences so have more empathy to others’ dilemmas.

A key strength for people with dyslexia is that they can see the bigger picture. This ability enables them to focus on what is important, without getting lost in every little detail. They see how things connect to form complex systems, and to identify similarities among multiple things. This skill is seen as an asset in many occupations. For example, architects, designers, inventors, scientists, engineers, and actors.

People with dyslexia excel at finding the odd one out from enormous quantities of visual data. While many people with dyslexia struggle with reading or writing, they are often extremely skilled at deciphering facts from patterns or events.

Dr. Brock Eide and Dr. Fernette Eide co-authored the ground-breaking book, The Dyslexic Advantage, in which they wrote about 4 key areas of strength that people with dyslexia possess. These became known as MIND strengths. Although a person may not have all of these strengths, they may have a combination:

For a person with dyslexia, the learning journey can be frustrating to begin with, however, there are numerous special needs education programs (Orton-Gillingham approach) and resources available that can support them. One of the most important things to remember is identifying and building their strengths. They may struggle in the early grades but with plenty of guidance, encouragement, and the right approach, they can grow-up to be gifted story tellers, inventors, entrepreneurs, actors and so on.

Take a look at our helpful infographic to better understand this behaviour, you can download it here.

Find out more about our dedicated Support Services by clicking here.

In today’s modern world, we are understanding more and more about the human brain and body with learning and behaviour disorders being identified and diagnosed at earlier ages. There are many different learning disorders that affect children. The one we will be shedding some light on is called Oppositional Defiant Disorder, also known as ODD. Although it is typical for young children to be oppositional and defiant some of the time, when does it go beyond ‘just a phase?’

Research has shown that children diagnosed with ODD have a well-established pattern that goes beyond typical temper tantrums.

Some of the associated behaviours and symptoms may include:

• Easily being annoyed by others
• Questioning and refusing to follow rules
• Blaming others for mistakes
• Having the tendency to argue with authority figures
• Often losing their temper
• Quickly feeling irritated
• Deliberately annoying others
• Being vindictive or unkind
• Doing things to upset others

If you are a parent, you will recognise that all children tend to have these symptoms from time to time. However, what differentiates ODD from typical defiant behaviour is the severity, how long it has been going on for and how it affects relationships. If children only behave a certain way in one environment such as only at home, then their behaviour is caused by an external trigger. If the child is engaging in inappropriate behaviours consistently across all settings (school and home for example), and not able to enjoy a typical functioning life, then it would be recommended to see a qualified mental health expert. ODD is also tough on family members, so having some family rules and parenting strategies in place is a great way to start to help manage quality of life for all.

There are several strategies that can be adopted by parents to help support their child at home such as:

These parent management strategies should be discussed with teachers and/or therapists to ensure that everyone is using the same strategies consistently. At the Integrated International School, we provide a collaborative learning environment suitable for special needs education that benefits individual students as teachers, support specialists and parents work closely together to achieve their academic and social potential.

Take a look at our helpful infographic to better understand this behaviour, you can download it here.

Find out more about our dedicated Support Services by clicking here.