The Tran Ai Search for a Place to Teach Autistic Children - Final Episode: As Difficult as Opening a School to Teach Autistic Children

Lack of standards, lack of regulations, few reference models, complicated procedures... are barriers to the process of forming and building centers for autistic children in Vietnam.

An early intervention class in District 10 (HCMC) - Photo: HOANG THI

This is a paradox in the context of parents nationwide being confused about where to study for their autistic children: the paradox of high demand and low supply.

No standards

Having been involved in special education since 2007, Ms. Luu Thi Tho (Master of Educational Sciences, majoring in special education, Hanoi National University of Education) has spent 15 years in the profession. Having opened three special intervention centers for children, Ms. Tho had to stop all of them in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. Tho shared that opening a special intervention school for children is not easy. "In terms of facilities, the center must have different functional rooms such as intervention rooms, sensory control rooms, occupational therapy rooms...

Regarding teacher resources, while the number of specialized training is limited, teachers with professional experience choose to open centers or teach directly. The rest, many teachers only receive short-term training or study for certificates.

Besides, legally, the standard procedure for establishing a special education center is not yet clear. Currently, to establish a center, it is possible to go through the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, the Vietnam Association of Educational Psychology, the Vietnam Association of Psychotherapy or make a project through the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs," Ms. Tho analyzed.

Ms. Tho also said that while private kindergartens and other levels of education are managed by the Ministry of Education and Training and have common standards, there are no common standards to apply to special intervention centers. This also causes difficulties for special intervention centers.

"In particular, after COVID-19, many children have language development disorders, many children are slow to speak during the period of social distancing, leading to increased demand from parents. That is why, after COVID-19, special intervention centers and classes have sprung up like mushrooms after the rain. Many people who are not in the field and only study for a 3-month or 6-month certificate also accept children to teach," Ms. Tho expressed her opinion.

Integrated teaching model for children

After closing the special intervention center, Ms. Tho and three other teachers sought to create a different learning model for "special" children. Ms. Tho shared that since 2009, she has been implementing interventions for special children to integrate at a kindergarten in Dong Da district (Hanoi) and has achieved good results, the children have developed and integrated with their friends.

Currently, Ms. Tho and three other teachers are collaborating with a number of private kindergartens to set up special intervention rooms right in the school. Children who need intervention such as slow speech, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, etc. will be taught in parallel, both integrating and intervening. Intervention hours with the teacher will depend on each child's condition and the needs of the parents.

According to Ms. Tho, autistic children often have deficits in social interaction, communication and may have unusual, stereotyped behaviors... Therefore, an integrated environment will create conditions for children to maximize their time, and there will be many human resources to interact and support children anytime, anywhere.

Implementing this model also helps normal preschool teachers understand more about special children, thereby paying attention and changing their behavior to take better care of them.

"For example, a hyperactive child will be very naughty and not pay attention to studying. Normally, the teacher will think that the child is naughty and disobedient. But when knowing about the child's condition, the preschool teacher will understand more and respect the child's specialness. Of course, it also depends on the level of behavior of the child to be able to integrate or not. If the child is too severe, can be dangerous to other children, then the child cannot be integrated into the learning process.

In addition to receiving intensive support to improve the core defects that children encounter, children will be able to integrate and develop normally. And it is very important that children are respected for their differences, but still receive balanced support and develop like other normal children," Ms. Tho shared.

Teacher teaching autistic children at a private kindergarten in Hanoi - Photo: D.LIEU

How to choose a center?

According to MSc. Luu Thi Tho, before taking children for intervention, they need to be examined at the psychiatric department of the children's hospital, or be screened and evaluated by special education specialists.

Parents also need to learn and equip themselves with knowledge to choose centers that have a screening - consultation - intervention process. Because parents are the ones who come into contact with children every day, understand their children, so it is best to accompany and support their children in intervention.

Second, in the process of working with children, teachers must regularly exchange information with families for periodic check-ups, perhaps every three months, so that families know their child's condition and come up with an intervention plan, or adjust intervention goals to suit the child's next core deficiency.

In addition, teachers must also share intervention methods so that parents can help their children at home.

Ambiguous management of facilities for raising autistic children

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, some owners of special education facilities in Da Nang said that there is still confusion about which unit manages the facilities for special intervention. Most of the facilities operate under the name of companies or research institutes.

Recently, the management of these facilities has been handed over to the Department of Education and Training and is entering the stage of completing the educational program and facilities to comply with legal procedures and apply for a license to become a center. However, according to the owners of these facilities, the conditions for opening a special intervention center for children are quite strict, and almost no facilities meet them.

An owner of a special children intervention facility in Cam Le district, Da Nang said: "Currently, all of our criteria from facilities, professional staff, programs... meet the requirements of operating as an intervention and education center for autistic children. However, to meet all the criteria to ensure legal procedures to become a special children intervention center is very difficult."

Advice for parents

Giving advice to parents, Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Van Chan - Head of the Department of Social Work, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Ho Chi Minh City National University) - said that first, to determine whether or not a child has autism, or what level of autism symptoms, parents should take their children to hospitals with child psychology and psychiatry departments for diagnosis. The reputable hospitals that parents often take their children to for examination in Ho Chi Minh City are Children's Hospital 1 and Children's Hospital 2.

Once the child's condition has been determined, when it comes to finding an intervention center, Mr. Huynh Van Chan believes that parents should prioritize taking their children to a center that meets standards.

First of all, the learning space needs to be spacious enough for autistic children to interact comfortably. Second, there should be more functional rooms outside the classroom, such as sensory balance rooms for hyperactive children or water massage rooms... to support the treatment process of children.

In addition to the center's conditions, Mr. Huynh Van Chan noted that parents should carefully study the curriculum and teaching staff. Some classes are operating like a regular kindergarten, except that they have an additional hour of intervention each day.

The interventionist can be a non-professional teacher of the class, or a contract with some final year students of special education, psychology, social work... to teach by the hour. Both methods are very difficult to be effective.

Finally, Mr. Huynh Van Chan believes that for the intervention process to be better, parents still have to actively accompany their children. Parents should tutor their children at home under the guidance of experts.

Even for children who receive inpatient intervention, parents need to regularly visit, interact and take care of their children instead of leaving everything to the teachers. "Because the love of parents is a solid foundation alongside the support of teachers so that children can learn and develop," said Mr. Chan.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tran-ai-tim-noi-day-tre-tu-ky-ky-cuoi-kho-nhu-mo-truong-day-tre-tu-ky-20241029220050488.htm