features
school and you need to know how
they are getting on just as school
needs to know what is happening
at home. A new helper, a holiday, a
pet dies; all these things will affect
your child and how he or she is
doing in school.
3. Take some respite. Advocating
for your child may get exhausting,
there are lots of meetings to attend,
emails to respond to, timetables to
set up and new research to educate
yourself about. Sometimes you will
need to drop the ball, have some
“me time” and pick up the ball
next week.
4. Educate yourself. If you are
informed you are more likely to get
ahead. Talk with the PTA, the other
parents, different organisations
and get feedback. Read and study
about your child’s diagnosis/
behaviour. Test your concerns and
ideas on others before you take
them to the school. Know what you
want and how to achieve it.
5. Remember everyone wants to help.
The teacher and professionals are
not trying to be difficult or block
you. Sometimes they don’t have the
answers either. You are on a team
and may need to compromise in
order to get ahead. Work together,
the goal is ultimately your child's
progress at home and school.
Where to start? Parents who are looking
for support often benefit from word-
of-mouth recommendations, but there
are a few places to turn to for more
information. The government of Hong
Kong has links on its websites, and
there are parent-support groups such as
FOCUS and SNNHK, as well as groups
with information focused on specific
areas such as Downs Syndrome, Fragile
X, or the Dyslexia Association.
Schools Offering Support
Korean International School
www.kis.edu.hk/springboard.asp
Kellett School
www.kellettschool.com/preparatory/
learning-support-clone
The Harbour School
www.ths.edu.hk
ESF
www.esf.edu.hk/sen-overview/
Anfield
www.anfield.com.hk
Norwegian International School
www.nis.edu.hk
Aoi Pui School
www.apschool.edu.hk
Bebegarten Learning Support
www.bebegarten.com
Bridge Academy
www.bridge.edu.hk
The Children’s Institute of Hong
Kong Ltd (TCI)
Nesbitt Centre
www.nesbittcentre.org.hk
Family Partners School
Tel: 2291 6000
Professional Agencies
and Consultants
Acorn Care
www.acorncare.com.hk
Benji's Centre - Fu Cheong Centre
Tel: 2728 8830
Cedars Centre of Development
and Resources for Students
www.cedars.hku.hk/SENSupport
Child Development Centre (CDC)
www.cdchk.org
FOCUS
www.focus.org.hk
Heep Hong Society
www.heephong.org/webprod/eng
Hong Kong Down Syndrome
Association
www.hk-dsa.org.hk
Psynamo
www.psynamo.com
RED DOOR
www.reddoor.hk
SENsational Consultancy
www.senconsultancyltd.com
The Rock Foundation
www.therf.org
Watchdog Early Education Centre
www.watchdog.org.hk
Rainbow Project Learning Centre
Tel: 2548 7123
Sarah O’Connor is a special needs
teacher. She is the founder of Acorn
Care. www.acorncare.com.hk
May 2018
55