special needs -spore or oz?

[sunnysideup]

Hi,

We have a 5 year old autistic child who attends a special needs program in a mainstream school. He gets occupational therapy and speech therapy, as well as one-to-one attention. All this comes with a very hefty price tag.

We were told that we could get the same in Australia, probably better, at a lower cost. Both my husband and son are Australian citizens. But, to my surprise, some Australians I spoke to in Melbourne are really disenchanted with the services that are offered to them, citing long waiting lists for therapists for one thing.

Is anyone able to give me a clearer idea of whether my child would be better off in Singapore or Melbourne? Has anyone had experiences in both countries/places?

[micknlea]

Are you here now (in singapore?) If so, are you getting good support? Thing is, to get good support in Australia you will have to go through a lot of "redtape" etc. You may not get full support in Melb, a lot depends upon your application.

It depends a lot on what you have here, and what you expect there.

I also suggest that you contact Autism Victoria if you haven't already, they could give you more information than you may find here. They are very helpful, or at least were when I dealt with them. Good luck with your decision, it is a tough one.

[Esha]

See if you can locate a lady called Yael Sasson? She is excellent, I'm told, and she's in Singapore.

[sunnysideup]

thank you micknlea, and esha, for your responses. I did contact Autism Victoria and it was a start. There are still just so many things to consider, particularly the loss of support networks if we move there.

Esha, I know Yael and she is excellent -she used to work with Daniel. If you are still loooking for schools for your child, try Zee School in the east. Daniel attends the special needs program there. They have an integrated program, so the special needs kids do some activities with the mainstream kids. Very small school and the teachers have their hearts in the right places. Let me know if you need any other details on schools/therapists etc, I am happy to help. Can't imagine that it's easy on you to make such a major move.

[Esha]

Sunnysideup, I'm glad you know Yael. I am tense about the move but I have come to believe that there is always a reason why things happen the way they do.... one is so busy dealing with the nitty gritty of little daily issues, one forgets.... maybe when i move to Singapore I'll get the support systems I am worrying about, and things will be okay.