Schools for special needs children in Malaysia
Published by SchoolAdvisor | Feb 28, 2019
Several children and youth experience learning difficulties and those who suffers from such disabilities are in need of a little extra care- known as special educational needs.
Alongside the little extra care and attention, we must make sure that learning is done accordingly and adapted to the needs of the child. Moreover it is essential for us to be mindful regarding the pace and nature of the learning process.
The integration of children and youth with special educational needs is best achieved within inclusive schools that serve all children within a community and through this, those special education needs can achieve the fullest educational progress and social integration. The fundamental principle of the inclusive school is that all children should learn together, whatever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have
Here are some of the schools for special needs children in Malaysia:
The aim at the centre is to prepare the child to enter school, get ready to engage with teachers and peers and to learn effectively. The school offers its students with Individual Education Plan (IEP) which is a map that lays out the program of special education instruction, support and services that the child needs to make progress and succeed at school. The Early Intervention Program is designed to help young children who have developmental delays or specific health conditions to catch up an increases their chances for success in school and life overall. Additionally, there are additional classes which the school provides:
- Occupational Therapy where they help children with special needs to do things they want and need through the therapeutic use of daily activities.
- Speech Therapy is provided which is a program used to help children who have difficulty speaking, through the use of training and repetitive exercises and use of devices that can make it easier for some children to speak.
- Psychological Assessments are done for the students. This is a process of testing that uses a combination of techniques to help arrive at some hypotheses about the child and their behaviour, personality and capabilities.
- Play Group is also available which is a safe way for parents to allow children to engage socially with other people and try new things. Playing in a group can broaden the child’s social network, through meeting with other children from the same age group.
Address: Block E-1-5 Plaza Arkadia. No 3 Jalan Intisari Perdana Desa Park City. Kuala Lumpur
Contact number: 03 - 27710799 / 012 - 2677990 / 016 - 6606843
The school believes ALL children, with special educational needs, have a right to an education which is appropriate to their needs. The school provides one to one and small group homeschooling program/tuition for Primary, lower secondary and secondary levels (no age limitation). In order to know if the school’s service is suitable for your child, they have an easy set of procedures as follows:
- Begin- If your child is struggling in school to cope with the subjects and speed of teaching, it is important to find out why. It is recommended to take your child to a psychologist or to special centres so that you can test dyslexia, autism and ADD/ADHD signs and symptoms.
- Educational Assessment- If the results of the above-mentioned tests indicate that your child have these, you can contact the school to make an appointment. The school will then then assess the child’s knowledge to know more about the child and hereupon update teachers to what level they should start with the child by result of assessment.
- Decision on Home Schooling or Tuition- Parents will then have to decide which program is more suitable for their child.
- Assigning Suitable Teachers to Every Individual Student- Subject-based teachers for lower secondary and secondary level are trained regarding teaching method for special children.
- Trial One Week Schooling- Since changing school is a big decision for students as well as parents, the school provides one-week trial classes which will be quite enough for students and parents to get to know the teachers, their teaching methods, how the students are treated and the school atmosphere.
- Welcome to the family of Education House- The last step is when the child gets into the school. Classroom accommodation and multisensory instruction, text books, audio, video, and science experiments will help children understand and memorise the concepts well.
The school’s goal is to help children study happily in the school and at the end of the journey help children to register in final exam to get official IGCSE certificate.
Address:
Subang Jaya Branch- 62-3, Jalan SS15/4D, Subang Jaya, 47550, Selangor
Setia Alam Branch- No. 7-3-2, Jalan Setia Prima H U13/H, Setia Alam, Seksyen U13, 40170 Shah Alam, Selangor
Contact number: whatsapp to 019 509 6607 or call on 0104303116
The Kits4Kids Foundation Pte Ltd, a private social enterprise with different offices, centres and service agreements across the globe till date. Kits4Kids Foundation has projects spanning United States, Canada, South Africa, Ghana, Madagascar, Qatar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. As more people became aware of autism, dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, Dyspraxia and other disorders, the school launched parental workshops to upgrade parents, practitioners and care-givers in their need for support and passion to affect society.
Kits4Kids Special School continues to be a pillar in the educational transformation of children and young adults through an integrated interdisciplinary approach for a bright future.The Kits4Kids Special School Programmes:
- Early Intervention Programme for Infants and ChildrenThis consist of the Toddler Programme Early Intervention, Nursery Programme Early Intervention, Kinders Programme Early Intervention, Nursery Integrated Programme, - Kinders Integrated Programme
- Junior Programme
- CARE Programme
Address: Cacawi 6/19A, Kota Damansara, 47810, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Contact number: + 60 16360 8815
The Vijayaratnam Foundation's (the philanthropic arm of the QI Group of Companies in Malaysia) main focus under the education pillar is the empowerment of individuals in the field of special learning needs and in line with this a centre for children with special learning needs, called TAARANA was set up.
The school provides programmes suitable for all our students in order to understand their strengths and weakness. Thus, each student follows and Individualised Educational Plan (IEP) that allows them to make progress at their own pace.
Their early year programmes are based on intensive intervention model, which recognises the importance of early intervention. Additionally, they provide intermediate programmes which prepares their students both academically and functionally. The academic programmes follow modified mainstream curriculum. Their prevocational programme trains students for independent living.
By regularly getting involved and engaging with these children, the school hopes to help them make a smooth transition into society and be able to live meaningful lives.
Address: Taarana No. 1, SS3/39, Petaling Jaya, 47300 Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Contact number: 03 7865 7207 / 03 7865 8207 / 03 7865 9207
SEED Autism Services Malaysia provides home-based and community-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, supervision, workshops and training for children with Autism. They believe in using the evidence-based practice of ABA and the Verbal Behavior (VB) approach in their programs will aid to improve their children’s quality of life.
SEED Autism Services Malaysia is dedicated to creating effective ABA programs and maintaining high standards of professionalism and ethics. They believe in the importance of working with family members and other professionals to promote generalisation of learnt skills into the child’s natural environment. They also believe in continually raising awareness within the Malaysian community and sharing their knowledge with other professionals in the country and around the South East Asian region.
At SEED Autism Services Malaysia, they offer four (4) types of home-based ABA programs for families. These are:
- Introductory Program (9 hours weekly)
- Focused Program (15 hours weekly)
- Comprehensive Program (30 hours weekly)
- Consultation Only
Address: Level 2, Unit D12-11-2, Dana 1 Commercial Centre, Jalan PJU 1A/46, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Contact number: 603 7734 0088
There are no limits – only beginnings. BAKTI-MIND provides information and resources for people with disabilities (PWD) and their carers. The institution helps you understand your disabilities, find support and resources in order to lead the best life possible.The organisation provides its services to people who are amputees, autistic, blind or visually impaired, have cancer, suffer from cerebral palsy, deaf or have hearing impairment, have diabetic foot, down syndrome, geriatrics, haematology, spinal cord injury, stroke, cardiac rehabilitation, learning disabilities. The BAKTI-MIND team recognizes each person with disability as unique. Each PWD has varying aspirations, abilities, interest and needs.
Special education enhances a person’s ability to interact with their community and environment. This helps them connect appropriately and effectively with people around them. In Malaysia, various schools and training centres are available to guide individuals toward independent living.
Address: 3rd Floor, Bangunan BAKTI Siti Hasmah, No. 6 Changkat Abang Haji Openg, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur
Contact number: 03 7724 2650 / 03 7724 2655
Special needs education in Malaysia still needs improvement in comparison to any of the more advanced nations in the world. However, in all matters pertaining to an ever evolving society, there are always room for advancement and room for improvement. Inclusive education needs to be driven by strategic partnerships between diverse actors, including families and communities, local and national NGOs, international organisations and governments, and in particular organisations of people with disabilities, families and children with disabilities themselves.
