It didn’t occur to parents that Putra had poor interaction with adults and peers, in addition to his unclear speech. It was not until the childcare teacher had alerted them about Putra’s learning needs that swung them into action towards enrolling Putra into EIPIC.
Both parents were initially confused as to why Putra had to receive early intervention. However, they felt compelled to listen to the doctor’s advice as they were very concerned about their child’s progress. Additionally, they received positive support from extended family members.
To help prepare them for coping with the care of Putra’s learning needs, both parents signed up for the “Signposts: Building Better Behaviour” programme held at EIPIC, which they felt was effective in helping them understand Putra’s needs.
The initial 3 to 4 months of Putra attending both mainstream pre-school and EIPIC had parents struggling with uncertainty as Putra talked about being tired at times.
It was the constant communication between the EIPIC teacher and parents that made them felt more assured that they are heading in a right direction towards meeting Putra’s learning needs. In addition, the childcare centre made adjustments to Putra’s schedule so to accommodate his EIPIC sessions. This allowed Putra to feel better rested and ready to focus on his school work. They also noted that Putra appeared happier and enjoys both school and EIPIC sessions very much.
Parents were unfazed by the less than pleasant reactions from extended family members when they learned that child had been placed on 1-year deferment before enrolling into mainstream primary school. The decision was made upon consultation with the EIPIC team and open dialogues with a few community partners.
This move had paid off as child is now on-par with other peers in his reading and getting along well with his peers in school.
Alongside the EIPIC journey, the family was also affected by unforeseen financial circumstances. With the assistance of the Social Worker at EIPIC, the family received financial assistance that helped them through the challenging times.
The parents hope that Putra will continue to make progress and be happy in his learning journey.
