Special needs / Autism spectrum.

[Bad_azz]

How do the schools & the Education Department (in general ) deal with these issues?
Are there any support networks?
Are there any classroom support assistants?
Any policies?

Obviously the range of needs varies - I am just curious as to what help is available, be it in the schools or externally for parents/care givers.

 

[William King]

How do the schools & the Education Department (in general ) deal with these issues?

Mostly not well, or ban children with special needs. As a result many parents refuse testing or lie on entrance/admissions forms.

A few schools are doing some good things, Sekolah Cikal, Australian Intercultural School and Highscope are a couple that spring to mind.


Are there any support networks?

I'm unaware of any.

Are there any classroom support assistants?

Most schools advise parents to pay for a shadow teacher. Who may or may not be a teacher, who may or may not have any SPED training, and this shadow teacher essentially shadows the child through all lessons and 'helps'.


Any policies?

Varied.

Obviously the range of needs varies - I am just curious as to what help is available, be it in the schools or externally for parents/care givers.

Mostly parents are on their own.

 

[Bad_azz]

Cheers for that xx

 

[Puspawarna]

There WAS a support network in Jakarta for families whose kids had a range of learning issues, although as a practical matter I think it was limited to English-speaking people, primarily if not entirely expat. While anyone would have been welcome, I doubt a kampung mom with no English skills would have felt comfortable in the group, or would have been able to afford the resources (private tutoring, speech therapy, etc.) that group members shared with each other.

The person who used to run it does not maintain it anymore, since her son is now off to college. I could ask her if the group still exists.

For kids with a range of disabilities (physical and mental) there are one or two groups like this one: http://ypacjakarta.blogspot.co.id. I don't know how active or effective they are.

 

[fastpitch17]

A good start would be in the proper diagnosis of the child first before a proper course of education can be determined. With the Indonesian mental health practitioners, this is hard.

 

[Puspawarna]

A good start would be in the proper diagnosis of the child first before a proper course of education can be determined. With the Indonesian mental health practitioners, this is hard.

As with most things in life, money helps. There are excellent testing and diagnostic facilities/specialists available in Singapore.

 

[fastpitch17]

As with most things in life, money helps. There are excellent testing and diagnostic facilities/specialists available in Singapore.

Great, tell that to all the Kampung kids who suffer from medications prescribed that has nothing to do with a properly diagnosed disorder. I have seen first hand kids that seem to be suffering from depression or a attention disorder taking drugs for serious mental disorders. It seems the doctors would rather just keep patients sedated and quiet and say all fixed. No, Singapore is not an option for the majority of Indonesian. Sure, Expats can go but what about thise that live here a lifetyme. Oh, and all Expats can't afford the Singapore thing either.

 

[Puspawarna]

Great, tell that to all the Kampung kids who suffer from medications prescribed that has nothing to do with a properly diagnosed disorder. I have seen first hand kids that seem to be suffering from depression or a attention disorder taking drugs for serious mental disorders. It seems the doctors would rather just keep patients sedated and quiet and say all fixed. No, Singapore is not an option for the majority of Indonesian. Sure, Expats can go but what about thise that live here a lifetyme. Oh, and all Expats can't afford the Singapore thing either.

Yes, I am well aware of that, and it is a tragic fact of life. However, it is also the case that we're an expat forum - and might be found by someone doing a Google Search who does indeed have the ability to pay. It sucks that life isn't fair, but I see no reason to hide knowledge about what is available to those who can afford services because of that.

On that score - if you are in the region, looking for testing services, and have the money/health insurance to cover it, Google Dr. Roby Marcou. She has helped a lot of families in Jakarta.

(Also please note that the yayasan I linked to is not for rich expats - it's for ordinary Indonesians.)

 

[Terry MacArsey]

Great, tell that to all the Kampung kids who suffer from medications prescribed that has nothing to do with a properly diagnosed disorder. I have seen first hand kids that seem to be suffering from depression or a attention disorder taking drugs for serious mental disorders. It seems the doctors would rather just keep patients sedated and quiet and say all fixed. No, Singapore is not an option for the majority of Indonesian. Sure, Expats can go but what about thise that live here a lifetyme. Oh, and all Expats can't afford the Singapore thing either.

Sounds pretty much like the way mentally disabled people are treated in England to me. They used to call it Care in the Community or as I used to call it Chuck 'em back in the Community, basically drug them up and forget about them, which is what happened to a very good friend of mine. Here's some Lithium, goodbye.

 

[Bad_azz]

Sounds pretty much like the way mentally disabled people are treated in England to me. They used to call it Care in the Community or as I used to call it Chuck 'em back in the Community, basically drug them up and forget about them, which is what happened to a very good friend of mine. Here's some Lithium, goodbye.

I couldn't comment on how things are now- but I recall care in the community and it wasn't just for people with mental health issues.
& I guess thru the 90s drugs were oft seen as the wonder crutch (can't go so far as to say cure) and with the passage of time obviously more data has been able to be gathered & a revision of opinion re certain drugs.

 

[Felicity]

I'm not an education practitioner, so I can't really say much in the educational/school policy. What I know is usually school (pre-school and kindergarten) require teacher with psychology background to increase awareness of the individual's characteristic, in this case children. But whether the school would take different treatment toward different characteristic that is really not the teacher's authority sometimes, they might just give feedback of how the kids doing at class.
However, I have a few of friends that concern about autism and join in a firm called Kidsautism. If people out there really need support, I think they should really reach out to the professionals persistently. They can ask for pro-bono by contacting psychology firm, for example LPT-UI and Atmajaya. I know not many therapist/psychologist want to handle pro-bono client, but I know some friends who are willing. And they are excellent in English.

 

[Saigon]

*ummm guys why can't i see the changes after various (due to syntax errors)?

 

[Saigon]

After last quick reply I noticed the comment i tried to edit too for additional info, remained on the first unedited version.
Any explanation? The Same goes on my original reply. After Last editing it became one lousy long-no-paragraph indention essay. See Above..

 

[Saigon]

Admins,
Indidentally, am using an ipad-ios os platform, fyi. Maybe it cause to one time editing only =)
all my replies would encounter a pop-up message that. "My Message I entered is too short.."
thus i have to re-do it again.

 

[Puspawarna]

Admins,
Indidentally, am using an ipad-ios os platform, fyi. Maybe it cause to one time editing only =)
all my replies would encounter a pop-up message that. "My Message I entered is too short.."
thus i have to re-do it again.

I just saw this, so I've sent a post report to the admins.

A note for everyone - if you encounter problems while posting, the best place to mention them is in the "forum information" subforum. Mods and admins may not read 100% of the things posted, but we will definitely notice anything new posted in that section.

 

[El_Goretto]

Admins,
Indidentally, am using an ipad-ios os platform, fyi. Maybe it cause to one time editing only =)
all my replies would encounter a pop-up message that. "My Message I entered is too short.."
thus i have to re-do it again.

This is a known issue which we have investigated thorough and for which we have not found any solution. It seems to be isolated to very few users. Sorry for the trouble.

 

[Saigon]

How do the schools & the Education Department (in general ) deal with these issues?Are there any support networks? Are there any classroom support assistants?Any policies?...what help is available, .

Some insights, since we are not in a First world country, the issues are as old as other compelling factors in the education divide society. A marginalized group with little or few professionals around Deped in my opinion can only pay lip service even if the country is a signatory of universal declaration of the rights of these children with special needs (CSN). In my 8 years visiting this country including the last 4 years working around Jakarta I met some educators and noticed some institutions catering for their needs. One in Barat fronting K.Jeruk busway (Talatakum) and one with a good program and facilities somewhere in Pejanten area. I heard Cita Buana is a mainstream school catering for CSN and one small foundation adjacent to their campus, manage persons-with-disabilities(PWD) i met the director and I offered my help but they can not afford me they said since most of their staff are just trained mixed undergraduate volunteers with only him (a German who has a degree and trained extensively). One foundation am yet to visit whom I was invited to see their facilities is located in Kelapa Gading, based on the person whom I met in a writing content site, their foundation is one of the succesful organization in the country he claims. Another in the south area I forgot the full name was able to afford an expat pay for a seasoned speech therapist from my country(i think it was Shining star school, with two other branches in Pos Pengumben,Jakbar and somewhere in Central Jakarta.Again these are the private sectors.

And oh, the small foundation (near Cita Buana) also refused my pro-bono service as they can not secure me a working visa as they themselves have hardtime complying to permits from the bureaucratic red tape and systemic corruptions!

Me, am just another hoi poloi samaritan able to find a job related to my other undergraduate degree and experiences. Sadly am yet to used my state scholarship earned higher education, on this country that needs it more than ever.

.-Saigon De Manila
M.Ed-Sped

 

[Saigon]

* Deconstructed for easy reading:

Support networks are definitely nil if they exist at all because no group of professionals or empowered advocacy group are dynamically active to have a National awarenes or lobby with. The Lawmakers.I think the society has underlying stigma in exposing the escalating cases. The parents are to blame too for their hard denial having a family member that needs an appropriate program. I remember encounterng one child who came from a very prominent political clan and though I was just a substitute teacher I offer a local team of professionals who can handle their child better. It was a futile attempt.Last I heard the child still enrolled on that highly touted (very expensive) school but with out any professional to handle the child. The guidance counsellor can only put his head under the sand so to speak.

 

[Saigon]

Re classroom support. In my 4 schools, i worked-all are private high ends institution in their area, none have adequate equipment, facilities or staff. In one of my micro-blog I mentioned about an incident that moved me personally because of the little improvement of one pupil. Yet, i was criticized by one parent (from another school ) that the story was NOT even true.As if these things doesnt exist in our midst. Basically, shadow teaching is allowed only until certain primary years but I heard one school allows shadow (nanny) the whole primary years. The school has some degree holder counselor but they do not even have a practicing SPED teachers to design an IEP! Yet that school brags they are ready and continue to accept some differently able kids.

 

[Saigon]

Now back to policies, I really doubt if the government have a strong thrust on the plight of their life long needed education and support. Am yet to hear that a successful program is already instilled in major Universities so how can we expect they can deliver the wide gap of needed professionals from, doctors to different medical allied specialist. Some authorities are very naive thinking that just that a person is Pyschology graduate is already skilled to handle the wide array of special needs and handicapping conditions of a child. In one school I know, even at a population of close to 1000 their Guidance counsellor doesn't even own an office or have an assistant or team and is even loaded with teaching subjects.yes it is that ridiculous. In another country some citizens would even declare their child to to have a continues case of any form of special needs just to get government support and benefits, here powerful government officials would not even dare to bring their own children to proper intervention thinking it would be a political waterloo --exposing their young to strangers not on their political party affiliation. If you look around even concrete over pass was never designed to accomodate physically challenged individuals. I maybe wrong but am yet to see a public information that a discount is given to any goods, products or services to individual or family with PWD in their purchases. i havent seen any free TV program or political event with a sign language interpreter embeded as PIP visuals for a viewing deaf-mute or chidlren with developmental disorder. In case most of you don't know, English is the international medium of instructions for CSN yet the government is not even embracing the bilingual curriculum in State owned basic education Schools *sigh! And oh, the small foundation (near Cita Buana) also refused my pro-bono service as they can not secure me a working visa as they themselves have hardtime complying to permits from the bureaucratic red tape and systemic corruptions!