ST: Rising autism numbers: At least 70% of students in Minds, Rainbow Centre schools have autism
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...s-in-minds-rainbow-centre-schools-have-autismSINGAPORE - Some special education schools that have traditionally served children with conditions like intellectual disability are taking in more students with autism.
At least 70 per cent of students in Minds and Rainbow Centre, which together serve about 1,900 individuals with special needs across the seven they run in total, have autism.
The organisations said they have seen a change in the profile of students, with rising numbers of kids diagnosed with autism and fewer with other needs such as multiple disabilities.
There are currently 25 special education schools for students aged seven to 18 in Singapore, with three more to be set up by 2032 to cater to those with autism.
Minds, which previously catered solely to people with intellectual disability, saw a 60 per cent increase in enrolment of kids with autism, compared to 2022. Close to 700 out of over 1,000 students across the four schools the organisation runs have both autism and intellectual disability.
Intellectual disability is characterised by difficulties in problem-solving, abstract thinking and planning, whereas autism is defined mainly by having issues with social interaction and communication, and repetitive behaviour.
People with autism also have heightened sensitivity to sound and light and tend to be fixated on certain things.
Rainbow Centre’s Margaret Drive School and Yishun Park School have been taking a larger proportion of students with autism compared to multiple disabilities.
Around 70 per cent of students at the two schools have autism, while the other 30 per cent have multiple disabilities, which refers to having at least two impairments across a range of sensory, cognitive and physical functions. Individuals with multiple disabilities may also have accompanying medical issues.
To cope with the demand, Rainbow Centre opened its third school for students with autism, Admiral Hill School, in October. Its three schools serve a total of 907 students.
Rainbow Centre’s executive director Tan Sze Wee said the yearly enrolment for students with multiple disabilities has been decreasing over the last four years.
From 2025, Yishun Park School will cease to take in new students with multiple disabilities, while continuing to serve existing students with multiple disabilities till they graduate. Only Margaret Drive School will continue to take in students with multiple disabilities.
