Need advice on switching to a different school

Stockinette

Hi,

My son who is 3 year and 5 months old is diagnose to have autistic features at 3 year and 2 months old.  CAC gave us a choice of waiting for i-class or EETC and we chose the latter,  in the meantime we are taking him to heep hong for training (we started off with weekly training and now switch to bi-weekly).  

He spoke like a parrot when he went for the CAC assessment but now 3 months later he no longer echo other ppl's word and can understand and anwser questions correctly.  He also chit chat with friends at school.  The speech therapist at heep hong said his language skill almost catch up with his age and his IQ matches his age group (i.e. he is unable to do some stuff for his age group but on the other hand he can do thing exceed his age group), she think his severity in AF is midpoint between mild to medium.  Both the school and heep hong thinks the area for immediate improvement for him is attention span and self discipline.

He recently went to international school interview in FoTan and got accepted by the school.  The reason we applied the school (we submitted the applicaiton 1.5 year ago before we knew he has autistic features) was because we do not have a lot faith in local primary/secondary school education where the education tend to be more rigid and stricter requirement for student behaviour and acedamic achievement.  

The dilemma that we are facing is the local kindergarten loves him very much and he is very happy, he started off a year ago with hardly any cantonese and now he can speak in whole cantonese sentences to teachers/friends; at home he is mixing chinese and english in his sentences.  The EETC that he is waitng for is in cantonese.

Because the local kinder love him so much we are considering whether to give up international school for now and re-apply for primary enterance, but chances for him to get it probably slimmer as the english requirement be much higher.  

Any advice from parents?

pamam

I would let him continue going to local school.

My elder son is asperger and he is now P.2 with ESF mainstream, the pros of international school is my son has virtually no homework and the class/school rules are much freer. He is very happy and he loves his school. However, my son's Chinese standard is very low and I don't see much improvement even after I have put him to 1 to 1 private tuition. More importantly, if your son need continue support/therapies, the English speaking one are much more expensive and only with limited choice.

If you don't want your son to have too much pressure or homework, you can choose the local school which caters to your need, I put my younger son to a local kinder(famous of having no homework) and plan to find him a 'less' homework local primary school, if I can't find any suitable school, then I would consider sending hime to int'l school too. But reality is my younger son has recently expressed his wish that he want to be in the same school as his elder brother. I am having a headache with that.

Pamam
   

Stockinette

Thanks Pamam.  Yep we are most likely remain in the local kinder and will try to apply international primary school when the time comes.  

Side question, beside with little homework does your son bring home story book to read?  I heard ESF encourage students to read which is really good.

pamam

yes, they read at least one book each day in average.

Try keeping up your son's English even with local school, so that he can join international school at a later stage, that's what I am doing with my younger son.

Pamam

leungchai

Pamam,
Could you share with me what's the name of your younger son's kinder?  I am still in the process of finding schools as my kid might be able to go back to normal school with EETC or I-seat in the coming year.  I still worry a lot.  And, also, could you share with me the route for your elder son to get to ESF, so he could speak very well English at the time of application, does he like schooling/

really hope you could help me.

pamam

leungchai,

please check pm.

Pamam

ALAL

I have a friend who successfully transfer his son, with mild special need, from local p3 to Phoenix. First, she send her normal younger daughter to Phoenix, giving up a place of a very famous local primary school. Then she shift her son to a new international school in Kowloon Tong and then another one in Taipo. She just told me her son is successful in his second application for Phoenix. She is such a determined mum.

She send her son to English class since he is very young and keep his spoken English well. And she make it.

Pampam,
you know there is a tuition centre in Shatin famous in teaching Chinese in activtiy approach, many international students go there. If you need the name you can pm me.

kk131668

ALAL

Can u pm the info of the Chinese Tuition Centre and also info about PHOENIX.

My child is in local P4 but she is developmental delay. I also want to see will there be other source that may help her.

Thanksssssssssssssssssss a billion.

KK131668