SIBU: With the federal policy allowing opening of classes, Association for Children with Special Needs Sibu (ACSNS) will be starting its face-to-face dyslexia maintenance programne (with 1:1 teaching) from July 6, 2020.
So far, there are 18 children with dyslexia attending the programme.
The children get personal coaching from an experienced specialist teacher after they finish their three months’ intensive programme.
“During the MCO period, five schoolchildren whom we work with in their respective primary school were meant to undergo the three-month intensive programme in Agape Centre. Because of the MCO, the Dyslexia Programme Specialist Teacher had to complete the training programme online.
“All five finished their training in May 2020,” said a spokesperson from ACSNS in a press statement on Sunday (July 5).
According to the spokesperson, the association had stopped providing face-to-face early intervention programme to families of children with special needs since March 18.
The dyslexia programme (both the three-monthly intensive course and maintenance programme) run by the local community-based rehabilitation (PDK) centre at Agape Centre were also stopped.
“However, we quickly switched the early intervention programme (EIP) normally conducted by the PDK teachers and dyslexia programme online, and we continue to support the families and children since the end of March 2020. The teachers use video chats and other social media platforms to support the parents in conducting training at home.
“We have 43 children registered under the EIP programme but the teachers were able to work with only 30 of the families using the ICT means. A number of the parents could not do online training due to the limitation of ICT gadgets. Some parents are not well versed with the ICT tools while some are preoccupied with their own tasks/jobs.”
While online training was becoming a new norm for many adults and older children, the spokesperson said that learning for children with special needs had not been ideal because of the MCO and closure of early intervention of the centre.
Until Sunday (July 5), the EIP face-to-face programme under the PDK programme (which is under the jurisdiction of the Social Welfare Department of the federal government) had not been allowed to restart.
“We hope this will be looked into soon so that children with special needs in PDK programme will be able to start learning again,” said the spokesperson.
Because of the MCO, the special aids manufactured by Tatsumi Kondo Memorial Workshop had also been delayed.
However, the two workers employed by ACSNS have restarted their work last month when the government policy allowed the work to restart.
“We apologise to parents who were made to wait, and we hope they will get their aid soon for the children,” said the spokesperson.
