Testimonial from parents

Our son, Raphael, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of 2 years 9 months old. The doctor recommended early intervention, speech therapy and occupational therapy for him.  We came across the Early Intervention Programme (EIP) at Early Steps Care Centre (ESCC) through their website and called to enquire.  Their helpful staff explained the programme to us in detail and invited us to visit their centre before we make any decisions.  Subsequently an assessment was performed by the teachers to identify Raphael's developmental delays so that they can set individualized goals for him.

At 3 years old, Raphael started his EIP at ESCC, being one of the younger students there.  Initially, he had great difficulty participating in almost all the activities of the EIP.  With the guidance from the teachers he gradually overcame his fears and anxieties and happily joined in the activities. He is given tasks every session tailored to his developmental delays and two books to read to cultivate reading habits. The tasks are to be brought home later for further practice. The teachers integrate therapy in many of their activities. They also work on letting the children explore with all their senses.  By requiring parents or grandparents to accompany him during the EIP, we are able to participate with him in activities and can understand even more, his weaknesses and issues especially when in a group setting. We've learned a lot through the EIP, about tools and activities that can engage and help him with his developmental delays and we continue to practice with Raphael at home.

After a few months, he has progressed so well through the programme and is finally catching up with his fine and gross motor skills, self-help skills, overcoming sound and touch sensitivities, and participating in group activities.  We are amazed to see a lot of progress in less than a year.  More importantly, he is very happy to go to ESCC and always asks for more "homework" to do.  No doubt, as Raphael continues to improve, there will be new issues and challenges to overcome, but we feel we are better equipped to deal with them. We are grateful to the ESCC team for their dedication.  There is not enough praise for the teachers who work endlessly with such positive attitude and love for all the children.

Mr. & Mrs. Jason Kho

6 May 2016

Testimonial

"Tham Wey Sam is our second child.  We discovered she was abnormal at the age of two.  She did not speak or complain like the other children, but played alone and repeated what she watched on TV.


Last year (2010) our friend, Kelvin, introduced us to Early Steps.  Thanks to him.  Luckily there is a seat for Wey Sam in year 2011.  She did not know a lot of things when she first attended Early Steps.  Because of your love and patient, she began to enjoy learning, and therefore improved a lot.  The children can feel the love you give.


Now she can use simple words to say what she wants.  She wants us to teach her to read.  She loves reading.  Your dedication and love put Wey Sam on her journey of learning and exploration of this beautiful world.  We like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all the teachers in Early Steps." - Tham Choon Yee & Amy Lim, Oct 13, 2011

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"My husband and I were devastated when we suddenly put all the pieces together and realized our 2 and half year old son was just not like other children his age and displayed a number of red flags for ASD.

After dealing with the grief and shock, we acted immediately and found Early Steps Care centre here in Cheras. From the very first contact, Early Steps have bent over backwards to help us in every way possible.

Our son, Ryan Elijah began the morning half-time program at the centre and he has loved it from the very beginning...he can't wait to go to school every morning...

We see fantastic improvements in our son, Ryan Elijah on a daily basis and the number of pleasant surprises we get about his development keeps multiplying. He is learning how to learn and is making connections and becoming increasingly spontaneous in a way we thought barely possible a year ago.

In just half a year, we have seen a number of improvements. His poor eye contact is now on par with a typical child. He had little or no imitation skills but now these skills are outstanding. He has picked up the ability to learn new skills very quickly, and he has great concentration in what he does these days. He is able to do his numbers and alphabets.

We are currently focusing on his speech and in the past few months, we have seen that he now understands basic instructions even though he is non-verbal.

We are really pleased and happy with how he has been progressing. We would like to thank all the teachers who worked with our son, Ryan Elijah. The teachers' hard work, love, support and positiveness has brought us as parents and son closer. No words can describe how much it means to us. Thank you again and God bless!"  -   Christina Fernandez