Poon, Kenneth K.

The author examined how individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are supported in Singapore and what are the needs for further service development. Service provision for individuals with disabilities in Singapore is broadly reflective of its changing needs as a developing nation. Disability service provision began in the post-war period and then advanced greatly during the last 20 years with the proliferation of early intervention and specialized programs for school age children as well an expansion of adult-focused supports. Social services are organized along the ‘Three Ps Model” (public, private and people), involving a collaboration of non-governmental organizations, the government and the corporate sector. With respect to school-age services, although a fairly comprehensive system has been put in place to support the education of students with disabilities, the system continues to evolve. The situation is more limited with respect to adult supports, With Singapore reaching high levels of employment, there is an impetus for some individuals with ID to be part of the workforce; for those without work skills, day options for some include workshops and developmental activity centers. For parent carers supports remain limited and there is a disparity between the goals outlined in the World Disability Report and currently available options for most adults and their families. Recommendations include studies to better understand the population of persons with ID and their needs, and a re-examination of the diffused responsibility for disability-related services within the government and an evaluation of the way that services are delivered by the voluntary sector.

It is commonly thought that the use of Hanyu Pinyin (or ‘Pinyin’) can promote the learning of Chinese characters as it assists learners to pronounce new characters via a sub‐lexical route (Dai & Lu, 1985; Huang & Hanley, 1997). However, there are also studies suggesting that presenting a Chinese character with its Pinyin depresses the rate at which the Chinese word can be learned (e.g., Solman & Adepoju, 1995; Solman & Chung, 1996). In view of this, this study aims to explore the impact of Pinyin during instruction on the acquisition of Chinese characters by Primary One students with dyslexia. Employing a single case alternating treatments design methodology, two girls and one boy diagnosed with developmental dyslexia were taught to read Chinese characters using two methods. The Pinyin method of teaching involves the pairing of the Chinese character printed on a card with its respective Pinyin transcription together with the teacher reading the word aloud. The Stroke method of teaching presents the order in which the strokes of the Chinese character are written in Pinyin. All three participants recognized more words when presented with the Stroke method across all sets of words. The implications of these findings to the nature of dyslexia and to the language learning of English‐Chinese bilinguals with dyslexia are discussed.

Although preschool education for children aged six years and below is not compulsory in Singapore, about 99% of children attend at least one year of preschool in Singapore. Since their beginnings in the 1940s, preschools (kindergartens, child care centers, and infant care centers) have evolved and mushroomed all over Singapore, providing care and education services for young children and their families from different social and cultural backgrounds. Realizing that early childhood education (ECE) is essential and contributes to later development, learning and behavior, the government has introduced new policies, measures and initiatives to increase the number of preschools as well as improve the access, affordability and quality of ECE for all children in Singapore. The formation of the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) in 2013, and the setting up of the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) in 2018 are two of the many important milestones in the development of ECE in Singapore. The ECE sector has undergone tremendous changes, especially in teacher education (teacher preparation and professional development). The ECDA has introduced several changes to enhance teacher education, including a training and career pathway to attract and retain good personnel in the ECE sector and improve teacher professionalism, work conditions and well-being.

This working paper addresses the potential of educational neuroscience in educator training and continuing professional development. The authors offer four critical factors regarding the utility of educational neuroscience for educators. First, the foundations and history of professional educator development in educational neuroscience are considered. Second, a review of existing teacher educator training programs purported to represent neuroscience approaches is considered. Third, a review of the empirical learning science literature is considered. Fourth, a rationale for including more intensive brain literacy training for educators is provided by comparing the impact standard teaching practices and brain literate teaching practices have on children. Finally, five recommendations for the development of brain literacy in Singapore are offered for administrators and policymakers to guide future policy and practice decisions.

The potential of educational neuroscience in teacher training and continuing professional development has been debated extensively, yet knowledge translation is largely absent in this field. Without objective methods for translating and disseminating educational neuroscience evidence, the impact of training on educators and the children they serve will remain limited. This position paper addresses this critical teacher education need by providing a rationale for why brain literacy training is vital as teachers learn to meet the needs of diverse learners. The authors offer three important factors for consideration regarding the utility of educational neuroscience for educators and allied school practitioners. First, the foundations and history of professional educator development in educational neuroscience will be considered. Second, a brief review of the empirical learning science literature within the context of science-based education will be considered. Third, a rationale for including a more intensive brain literacy training for educators is provided by comparing the impact traditional teaching practices and brain literate strategies have on curriculum and instruction, and how standard practices may actually undermine student brain development. Finally, three recommendations for developing educator brain literacy are offered to guide future policy, research, and practice decisions.

The number of low-income families in Singapore is increasing. Young children from impoverished backgrounds are at risk of development gaps and challenges. Research has shown that the accumulation of risk factors from adverse childhood experiences can lead to weaker outcomes later in life. The NTUC First Campus (NFC) launched the Child Support Model (CSM) to serve children and families from vulnerable, low-income backgrounds with a range of financial, social and learning support. A 3-year evaluation study using mixed-methods design was conducted to understand the effects of the CSM and the active ingredients in CSM. A cohort of 58 children from families making a monthly income of SGD$3,500 or less participated in the quantitative component where children’s language and cognitive outcomes and classroom engagement were measured at three time points in 2019 (Kindergarten 1) and 2020 (Kindergarten 2). Participating children’s parents and teachers were interviewed in the qualitative component and reported their perspectives and experiences in CSM.

Culturally bounded in nature, adaptive behavior is the degree to which a person meets the requirements of personal independence and social responsibilities. This study aimed to develop a computerized adaptive test (CAT) of a culturally appropriate adaptive behavior measure (i.e., the Activities and Participation Rating Scale [APRS]) in the Singapore context for children aged 7 to 12 years, that is, the CAT-APRS-Primary. In Study 1, an item bank consisting of 310 adaptive skills was developed and piloted among 56 caregivers. In Study 2, the refined 310 items were calibrated using Rasch analysis among 352 caregivers. After the removal of five poor items based on the Rasch analysis, the finalized 305 items were used for the CAT development, with these items showing good Rasch person and item fit statistics. Preliminary utility of the CAT-APRS-Primary was established, with participants completing 24 items on average. Limitations and implications for future research were discussed.