SINGAPORE — By 2015, some 2,000 children each year with mild developmental delays are expected to benefit from a learning support and therapy intervention programme when it is rolled out to more mainstream pre-schools, following a successful one-year pilot programme, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) announced yesterday.

With an annual budget of S$4 million, the Development Support Programme aims to provide early intervention and help children overcome conditions to make a smoother transition to mainstream schools. These conditions include learning difficulties, speech and language delays and behavioural problems. Globally, about 8 to 15 per cent of the yearly pre-school cohort are thought to have such conditions.

Specially-trained Learning Support Educators (LSEds) will go through one-hour weekly learning support sessions on language development, literacy, social skills and handwriting with the children over a period of three months. Those who need help in speech and language, social communication, motor skills, learning and literacy issues and behavioural issues will go through a four-month programme and receive specialist intervention.

LSEds are hired by the centres and will work closely with parents and teachers. These LSEds will continue to provide classroom support for the children after they complete the programme. Those who need more help may also be put through the programme for a second time.

The pilot was implemented in 91 pre-schools operated by NTUC First Campus’ My First Skool and the PAP Community Foundation in May last year, and has benefited 308 children.

Since April, 310 children in 77 other pre-schools across the island have been enrolled in the programme.

An independent evaluation by specialists at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital found that children who went through the programme improved in age-equivalence scores under the Brigance Screen, which assesses developmental progress in motor, language and academic skills.

Even so, challenges remain: Getting parents and caregivers to follow up with activities with children at home, and making sure teachers reinforce the strategies when the LSEd is not around and after the programme ends.

“Some teachers may not be able to do so because they have to cater to the needs of a big class size, but we try our best to brief them at the onset of the programme on how they can help these children, and during the intervention, we share strategies with them and also demonstrate how to use resource aids,” said NTUC First Campus’ My First Skool Learning Support Educator Specialist Valerie Cheng.

The MSF also hopes to ramp up the number of LSEds from the current 20 to between 50 and 60 in the next two years. Currently, each LSEd takes care of about 15 to 16 children across five centres, said Ms Cheng.

These programmes cost up to S$200 for the learning support package and up to S$400 monthly for those who require therapy intervention. Government subsidies are available and lower income-families will also receive more support and may pay just “a couple of dollars”, said Acting Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing.

“Our aim is really to make sure that we roll out the programme as quickly as possible. It will allow us to create even greater economies of scale, to provide it at even more affordable rates,” he added.