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This morning, D. got herself ready for school

date_range2026-09-07

Today, D. woke up early, put on her uniform and had a quick breakfast before heading to school. It was a moment her parents will remember, not only because they saw how excited she was on her first day of school, but also because they felt proud to see her begin a new journey.

This September, D. officially started Year 1 at a public school.

T.D. was diagnosed with intellectual developmental disorder and has many strengths in cognition and learning. However, her language development was delayed. When she joined saigonchildren’s free early intervention programme in late 2024, she mainly used short phrases to express her needs, such as “Miss, toys” or “I want cake”, and had difficulty maintaining a conversation.

After nearly two years of support from her family and intervention specialists, D. has made many noticeable changes.

From using short phrases, D. can now use complete sentences to express her needs and use more appropriate pronouns when communicating. She has also become increasingly interested in interacting with others, proactively initiates interactive play and seeks appropriate support when she encounters difficulties.

D. has also made significant progress in her independence and self-care skills. She can now carry out most personal hygiene activities independently, including brushing her teeth without adult support. In her recent assessment, she also demonstrated progress in identifying colours and shapes, recognising numbers, categorising objects and completing pre-school activities.

Now, D. has started Year 1. But our support does not stop here.

Alongside attending intervention sessions at a private centre three times a week, D. continues to participate in activities through our Early Intervention Project. According to our SNEP team, children requiring a mild level of support may need around 10-15 hours of intervention each week. However, maintaining this level of support at a private centre can be a financial burden for many families. In D.’s case, her parents also wanted to gain the knowledge and skills they needed to continue supporting her at home.

Upon completing the programme, D. underwent an exit assessment, and the teachers worked with her mother to develop an individualised intervention plan that she could implement with D. in their daily life. For the following three months, the teachers will continue to follow up with and support the family, helping them address any issues that arise while implementing the plan at home and adjusting the support as needed.

Alongside this, D. is encouraged to continue attending group intervention sessions at saigonchildren. These sessions give her opportunities to further develop her communication, interaction and play skills with other children, while also continuing to work on her vocabulary, sentence structure and overall language development.

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