Saigonchildren supports children with special learning needs, as we believe that neurodiversity is something that should be celebrated and not treated. That is why we tailor our approach for providing the necessary assistance for these children to thrive because of their differences. Through our outreach projects, early intervention and education, and various support activities, many of these already financially vulnerable children have the opportunity to access quality educational methods.
We achieve this by:
– Providing early intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders
– Providing training and support to parents of children with special needs
– Providing training courses to improve the capacity of professionals working with children with special needs for local organisations
– Conducting campaigns and events to raise public awareness about Neurodiversity and respect for differences
Currently, the focus is on supporting children with ASD and their families, but we extend our support to many other neurodevelopmental disorders ranging from vision and hearing impairment to ADHD and cerebral palsy.
Every year saigonchildren reaches and provides special needs education and services to nearly 2000 children, parents and teachers across Vietnam.
If you or someone you know has a child strugging with ASD or other neurodevelopmental disorders, please visit our SNEP page for more information.
Early intervention is a strong focus of the Programme given the importance of early detection and intervention for developmental disorders like ASD. The global mean age of ASD detection is between 38 and 120 months. Early intervention before the age of 3 is critical to “improve long-term independence” and identify medical, educational and social risks typical for children with ASD.
We also use a multidisciplinary education model that involves the participation of speech therapists, occupational therapists, educators, psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, and most importantly the parent or caregiver to tackle the complex difficulties surrounding developmental disorders.
The Programme also ensures that the professionals assisting these kids have the right tools and knowledge for the job. They take part in 2 different 3-year-courses to understand the needs of the children and how to successfully intervene. Along with this they partake in short courses to meet the ever-developing field of mental health psychology.
In addition to our team of experts, saigonchildren also cooperates with many domestic and foreign professional units and organisations to develop therapy resources, including therapies with applied scientific evidence to the special needs education current situation in Vietnam, working towards forming a Resource Centre and constructing a national network on the care and education of children with autism spectrum disorders that is of high quality.