The Ultimate Guide to Early Intervention In Singapore

We will cover everything from what is early intervention in Singapore to exploring private early intervention, the prices, services offered, dos and don’ts.

What is Early Intervention In Singapore?

Early intervention is used when a child is at the fastest development stage. Adults (i.e. family and professionals) must intervene as early as possible to have a higher success rate in preventing or even losing a diagnosis.

ARN Shadow Service (1)

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for parents, even soon-to-be parents, to learn about what’s best for their child, know their options available, plan ahead and make informed decisions. A well-prepared parent will be less stressed, have more confidence in working with therapists and be capable of giving the best support to their child.

When should early intervention start?

Early intervention can start as early as 14 months when you spot any symptoms of developmental delays. There will be more opportunities and time available for your child to understand problematic behaviors by starting earlier. You and your therapists will also find it easier to teach the child appropriate behaviors and new skills at the time when your child’s brain is most easily developed.

When your child learns to communicate effectively from an early age, they gain the power of controlling surrounding environments in a way that is not disruptive or aggressive. This prevents a vicious cycle from developing when children with developmental delays avoid using social skills because they find it difficult. Their social skills worsen because of the lack of use.

People tend to tolerate the disruptive behavior of a toddler much more than that of an older child. This is often where parents tend to get comfort from family and friends who may try to ease their worries by giving the wrong advice. They may assume that their kids are slow in developing and wait for them to grow a little older. However, waiting is dangerous as valuable time will be lost.

Therefore, it is essential not to allow or encourage behaviors in young children that will later be viewed as challenging as they grow older. Very often, when the behavior of an older child raises concern, it would already have been in existence for years.

A child becomes more skilled or determined at carrying out rituals or pursuing obsessions over time (according to research from Koegel, Valdez-Menchaca, 1994). If such behaviors are not brought under effective control when the child is in the early years, there is a real risk that this will eventually escalate and interfere with daily or desirable activities.

Signs of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental delays can be observed in infants. By age 2 years, symptoms can become more visible. 

If you plan to get a diagnostic test, the results may not be as accurate if your child is younger than 12 months old. This is because their skills have yet to be fully developed. On the other hand, it will become increasingly challenging for older children to learn and therapists to teach if parents delay the intervention for too long and only start to seek help when the child is more than 3 years of age.

If you are worried or unsure of when is the right time, talk to us today.

How you can identify Red Flags in infants & Toddlers

  • Does not tend to babble 
  • Limited use of gestures such as pointing and waving
  • Little display of affection to their primary caregiver(s)
  • Does not follow moving objects with their eyes
  • Does not turn their head to locate sounds
  • Prefers to play alone
  • Delay in walking or may display tip-toeing
  • Limited eye contact
  • Difficulty following simple instructions
  • Does not respond when their name is called 
  • Limited imitation skills
  • May display speech delay 
  • Difficulty understanding simple instructions
  • Low interest in peers or in social activities
  • May display routines or rituals in play
  • Repetitive motor mannerisms or Repetitive speech (Echolalia)
  • Rigidity/ resistance to change in routine.
  • Limited pretend-play skills

If you notice the above red flags are observed, does that mean your child may be experiencing a developmental delay?

The best way to find out is to claim your free Assessment (worth $297) at ARN today.

Is Early Intervention Necessary?

Delay in diagnosis can prevent labelling/ stigma associated with the diagnosis. Often, many parents deny their child’s difficulties and choose to ‘wait and hope’ that their child becomes better. If you find yourself or others saying the following, you are highly encouraged to take early intervention and approach our centre for assistance as soon as you can:

“She will be fine. Just give her some time.”

“Having a diagnosis does not change anything for my child.”

“I only started talking when I was 4 years old.”

“I’m sure she will grow out of it.”

“He is just a slow learner.”

Most importantly, do not keep your child’s diagnosis a secret. A diagnosis is sometimes delayed until the child reaches the school-going age or even later. By that time, the success rate to help the child enter a mainstream school would have reduced tremendously.

Our unique ABA-VB Therapy is a game-changer for early intervention

Overview

We are firm believers that early intervention is crucial to the therapy’s effectiveness and improvement of your child’s development. Unlike traditional ABA therapies, our unique ABA-VB method is an advanced, effective and intensive ABA-based early intervention that has proven to achieve positive effects on a child’s development while ensuring an enjoyable experience throughout the entire journey.

Programme Details

Age:

15 months to 13 years old

Location:

Choose between 

  • Centre-based; or 
  • Home-based; or 
  • Mix

Duration:

Choose between

  • Any working day between Mondays to Sundays
  • Half-Day or Full-Day Programme 
  • Morning or Afternoon plans
  • 3 hours, 5.5 hours, 6.5 hours or 7.5 hours
  • For centre-based therapy → First lesson starts at 8.30am and ends at 6pm.  
  • For home-based therapy → First lesson starts at 8.30am and ends at 7pm.

Ratio:

Choose between

  • 1:1 ratio at our centre
  • 1:1 ratio at your home, nursery, or school
  • 1:6 ratio at our centre

Language:

English

Complimentary:

Consultation, Assessment & Parent Coaching (worth $3297)

Rates:

$7/ hour

Save up to $7000 with your Baby Bonus. Contact us to enquire more.

FAQ (1)

Learning Path

We are confident that our unique ABA-VB Therapy will be your best option for early intervention.

Based on the Individualised Education Programme (IEP), which is tailored to each child, our unique ABA-VB works on improving compliance, focus, attention and on-seat behavior while keeping your child motivated.

You can expect your child to learn in a dynamic (not robotic) environment. Additionally, they won’t go through punishment procedures like traditional ABA programmes. Our curriculum can employ your child’s interests to keep them motivated consistently.

Language & Communication
Improve in Language Skills
social skills (1)
Improve in Social Skills
Improve Academically
Enrol with ARN (1)
motor skills (1)
Improve in Motor Skills
play skills (1)
Improve in Learning Skills
self help
Improve in Self-Help Skills

Parent's FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions About Early Intervention In Singapore

  1. Enhance caregivers’ understanding of how to effectively support their child. 
  2. Lead to a higher success rate in helping the child learn effectively and happily.
  3. Transit smoothly to a Mainstream School and able to adapt to a school environment independently
  4. Receive the support you deserve from our Allied Educators and Shadow teachers who can help your child with visual guidance, remedial classes, and behavioral practices.

A motor skill is the ability to move, coordinate and synchronise the body’s muscles to perform the desired task. There are 2 types: Gross Motor Skills (i.e. involve the whole body to make large movements) and Fine Motor Skills (i.e. involve coordination of small muscles for synchronisation of different body parts such as hands and fingers).

Early intervention programmes cost between SGD$5 to SGD$430 a month after subsidies. Get in touch with our friendly customer service officer to navigate quicker and explore other payment options. We are happy to assist.

We offer 1-to-1 Priave Early Intervention programmes to give extra help and support to children with challenging behaviors or parents that want to see faster results. Our Private Early Intervention programme has consistently proven to work and won multiple awards. Learn more about our 1 to 1 Centre and Home-Based ABA Therapy to find out more.

Early Intervention is not about going for as many hours of therapy as possible. An excellent early intervention plan should match your child’s development, capacity, intervention needs, as well as other important family factors. We recommend at least 15 hours of our unique ABA-VB therapy per week. Still, each case is different and should be analysed individually. 

Other key elements of an effective ABA programme include: 

  • early treatment, 
  • combination of discrete trials and natural environment teaching, 
  • complementary therapy in a clinical setting, 
  • parent-mediated therapy in the child’s natural environment, 
  • extensive staff and parent training, 
  • control of treatment fidelity, as well as 
  • sound and continuous evaluation of a child’s progress.

At ARN, we pride ourselves to abide by the above approach. Enrol your child in our private 1 to 1 Centre/ Home Therapy today.

The ABLLS-R® Protocol is known as Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised. It can conduct a comprehensive review of 544 skills that a developing child would typically have acquired before entering kindergarten. The scientific measurement covers 25 linguistic and functional skill areas, including language and communication, socialisation, academic and other developmental areas. 

Professionals from schools, institutions and organisations use the ABLLS-R® to assess a child’s development and get a detailed report of the child’s current skill and deficit.

Get in touch with us to learn how we use ABLLS-R® to unlock your child’s full potential.

Autism Recovery Network Singapore

Register for a Programme / Service

Start Your Free Online Test (For 7 Years & Above)

Start Your free online test (For 3 to 6 Years Old)

Start Your Free Online test (For 2 years & Below)

Contact Us Now!