More children with autism are joining mainstream schools, and parents are learning what it takes

SINGAPORE: Nine-year-old Ethan (not his real name) has never once complained about going to school. Each morning, he heads off with enthusiasm and returns brimming with excitement, eager to share stories about his day. 

But this year, a new challenge has tested him.

This is the first year the Primary 3 student had to sit for graded examinations. While he excelled in oral assessments – scoring 87 marks in one – he managed just 15 out of 100 in a recent written paper.

“Reading is very difficult for him so he can’t read the questions and he doesn't really understand why exams are important,” said his mother, Jane (not her real name), adding that Ethan has a history of speech delays.

She now wonders if enrolling him in a mainstream school three years ago, instead of a special education (SPED) school, was the right decision.

Ethan was diagnosed with autism at age six and was recommended by the National University Hospital to be enrolled in a SPED school that offers the national curriculum.

“I cried when we got the results because we sent him for extra classes and gave him more learning support, but he was still struggling.”

Initially, Jane followed the doctor’s advice and applied to St Andrew’s Mission School, which caters to children with autism. But her application was rejected, she said, adding that a staff member had told her it was possibly because Ethan did not do well in the written assessment as he was not able to read yet.

Determined for him to continue with the national curriculum, Jane enrolled him in a mainstream school in Bukit Panjang.

“We don’t want him to feel that he is different. My husband and I both work from home, so we felt we could teach him daily and guide him along,” Ms Jane said, adding that he has adapted well.

MORE CHOOSING MAINSTREAM PATH

Like Jane, a growing number of parents are opting to place their children with autism in mainstream schools rather than SPED institutions.

A study published in July in Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, analysed medical records of children born between 2008 and 2011 who were referred to an autism clinic or diagnosed with autism. 

Researchers reviewed demographic data, diagnostic methods, psychological assessments, early intervention attendance and school placement outcomes.

Of the 1,282 school placement recommendations recorded, 19.7 per cent were advised to attend mainstream schools, while 39.1 per cent were recommended SPED schools offering the national curriculum. The remaining 41.2 per cent were advised to opt for SPED schools offering a customised curriculum.

However, in practice, 45.9 per cent of the 1,483 children in the cohort ended up in mainstream schools, while 21.8 per cent enrolled in SPED national curriculum schools, and 32.3 per cent attended SPED schools with customised programmes.

Notably, 3.4 per cent of children placed in mainstream schools had originally been recommended for SPED customised programmes.

Senior consultant of the department of child development at KK Women's and Children's Hospital Dr Wong Chui Mae, who is the principal investigator of the study and, said the results mirror common patterns seen in clinical practice.

One factor influencing parental decisions, added Dr Wong, was the limited availability of SPED schools offering the national curriculum. At the time, Pathlight School was the only such option. Since then, St Andrew’s Mission School has opened, and Anglo-Chinese School (Academy) is slated to launch in 2026.

During MOE's budget debate in March, then-Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman said the ministry's priority is to provide a good education for students with special education needs, regardless of school type. 

He said mainstream teachers are trained to support diverse learners, and that students, teachers and leaders in SPED schools are given access to the same developmental support as those in mainstream schools.

Whether mainstream or SPED, there is no right or wrong choice, and neither is one type of school better than another, Dr Wong said, stressing that each child has different needs.

Children with autism struggling in mainstream schools generally fall into two broad groups: those with language and communication difficulties, and those with behavioural challenges such as sensory sensitivities or rigidity.

The first group often struggles with academic learning due to significant language impairments. 

“Once you have significant language impairment as part of their autism symptoms, all the academics are affected because language underlies all academic learning,” Dr Wong said.

Ethan, whose reading difficulties persist, belongs to this category. Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after a psychological assessment. He was again recommended for transfer to a SPED school.

Still, Jane remains hopeful that he will make progress as the year-end examinations draw near. 

“We still have some hope that things will change and he will begin to manage,” she said. 

NAVIGATING MAINSTREAM EDUCATION

CNA spoke to several parents whose children had been recommended for mainstream schools by medical professionals. These parents cited social learning, communication development and broader academic exposure as benefits of mainstream education.

Ms Su-Lynn Tan, principal educational psychologist at Promises Healthcare, said learning alongside neurotypical peers can aid long-term development and adaptation.

“For children who can cope with the national curriculum and have adequate adaptive skills to learn in large group settings, mainstream schools could be a better option due to opportunities to assess regular CCAs and having national exams like PSLE.”

But she cautioned that the pace of learning and the school environment can be overwhelming for children with more complex needs.

Ms Kate Tan, whose nine-year-old son Leo (not his real name) is in Primary 3, said early intervention helped prepare him for mainstream schooling. His teachers and special needs officer have been supportive.

Despite coping academically – he even received an award from the Ministry of Education (MOE) last year – Leo struggles socially.

"He keeps emphasising that these are my classmates and not friends. There’s probably only one boy in his class that he would say is his friend," Ms Tan said.

Leo is soft-spoken and sensitive to noise. Assemblies, cheers and recess chatter often overwhelm him. 

“During recess, he just wants to eat alone and enjoy his food,” Ms Tan said. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to ask if he is happy being alone or if he wants friends.”

Earlier this year, a classmate called him “stupid” – a taunt he took to heart. “He told me, ‘I’m not stupid, why are they calling me stupid?’” she recalled.

Bullying is a challenge that children with autism are more vulnerable to, experts said. 

“It can really impact the child’s self-esteem when they’re being perceived as different. Over time, it can lead to a child feeling very reluctant to attend school," said Ms Tan of Promises Healthcare. 

“For many students, school is really not just about academics. It's really about play, friendships, team building. So when students with autism feel excluded from any of these aspects, the whole experience of school then becomes very stressful, even if they can cope academically.” 

DAILY CHALLENGES

Ms Laura (not her real name), another parent, is trying to move her 10-year-old son Nathan (not his real name) to a SPED school after he struggled with daily learning tasks and sensory overload in his mainstream class of 40.

“In a class of 40, the teacher cannot be expected to chase after every child,” said Ms Laura, who only wanted to be known by her first name. 

“If my son forgets to hand in homework, they would simply shrug and say he didn’t know it was due,” she said. “You can’t fault the teacher, they have 40 other students.”

Nathan would often avoid physical education lessons by slipping away unnoticed. “He’s very good at making himself invisible,” she said.

“Teachers rarely insisted he join in. He managed to do this for a while without anyone really questioning it.” 

For Ms Laura, these incidents highlight the gaps between what mainstream schools can reasonably provide and what children like Nathan need. 

“Forty kids in a class … He is not able to survive,” she said. 

She succeeded in her appeal to MOE to allow Nathan to switch to a SPED school, though her son has been placed on a waiting list for the past five months due to a lack of vacancies, according to a letter from MOE seen by CNA.  

Mr Tang of Spectrum Psychology said many parents start to “see the cracks” when their children reach Primary 3 – a stage where exams begin and the academic load increases sharply.

KKH’s Dr Wong added that in some cases, students perform well academically but face mental health challenges as a result of bullying.

“Those with high abilities know that they are being left out, or they feel it when they're not invited to join things. Or they’re very aware that during group work they're the last to be chosen,” she said. 

“To truly build inclusive schools and an inclusive society, the school systems and the classroom need to change in order to bring into place adaptations that allow that individual to thrive.” 

DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, SAME GOALS

Whether in SPED or mainstream settings, the key is finding the right environment to meet a child’s needs, experts said.

At St Andrew’s Mission School, each class has one teacher for every six students. Teacher Fung Wing Sang said five core strategies are used: physical structure, schedules, work systems, routines and visual materials.

These include defined zones in classrooms, visual schedules to help students anticipate their day and detailed step-by-step guides for tasks.

Students who feel dysregulated can go to a calm corner. Visual strategies are also used to remind them how to get help.

Routines play a crucial role – from switching on the fans and unpacking their bags in the morning, to following specific steps during dismissal – every action is broken down into smaller, manageable steps, Ms Fung said.

“These are the routines that they follow every day, and it offers them the predictability of what's going to happen,” Ms Fung said. “It tells them what they are expected to do, and it gives them a bit of comfort knowing that the day is not going to change.”

Many of these approaches are being adopted in mainstream classrooms as well.

May (not her real name), a year head at a primary school in Pasir Ris, said inclusive techniques are designed to benefit the whole class, not just children with autism.

Calm corners help students who are dealing with emotions, while teaching classmates how to support one another when someone is upset. Routines and visual tools are also used to help children stay on task.

“All this starts becoming a very common language for our students. It becomes very normalised," May said.

She added that some students may only need classroom-based intervention, while others require more targeted support from special education needs officers.

Those who continue to show little progress after that can also get the support from other experts, like MOE's educational psychologists for instance.

“It’s really needs-based. You can easily see that children all have very different needs,” she said.