Clinical and Developmental Support
Medical Director
MBBS (Singapore)
Dr Lian Wee Bin is a certified paediatrician and neonatologist, registered with the Academy of Medicine, Singapore. She has acquired more than 25 years’ of medical experience as a doctor, the last more than 20 being in the domain of paediatrics, particularly in the field of newborn medicine and developmental paediatrics. She is fluent in English, Mandarin and several Chinese dialects.
She first received her medical training at the National University of Singapore and then went on to further her studies in the specialist field of paediatric medicine, attaining both the Masters of Medicine (Paediatrics), Singapore as well as Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, UK. Subsequent to this, she attended a Fellowship programme at the renowned Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, US, focusing on developmental paediatrics and newborn medicine.
As a doctor and mother, her passion is in helping every child achieve his or her optimal developmental and learning potential. Her predominant focus therefore lies in screening for and the early identification of the at-risk child, starting from the perinatal and infancy period (such as preterm infants and babies with low blood sugars at birth), through preschool years (such as those with speech and language delays, motor and co-ordination issues and more complex disorders such as autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders) into schooling years (such as those with learning disabilities, specific language impairments and dyslexia). She believes in early profiling of a child’s strengths and weaknesses and the implementation of Early Intervention, especially in the first 6 years of a child’s life. She is also a strong supporter of Family Empowerment and Child Advocacy.
Consultant Psychologist
MHSc (Hons), BA (Psych)
Sharon is a trained child psychologist and a member of the Singapore Psychological Society. She has been an active member of the professional society since 2005 and served on the council in the years 2009-2011.
She received her initial training with the University of Sydney under the Programme of Psychology, followed by the completion of the Masters programme in Health Sciences with a specialty in Child and Adolescent Health in the same university.
With seven years of experience in a hospital setting, she has been pioneer in the assessment of hearing impaired children for their developmental and learning needs with the National Newborn Hearing Screening Programme and the National Cochlear Implant Programme from its inception till last year. She has also assessed and worked with children with a variety of special needs, including autistic spectrum disorders, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorders and learning disorders.
Sharon has a keen interest in research and her papers on child development and learning issues in hearing impaired children and children born to women with Systemic Lupus Erythematous were presented at the Asia Pacific Congress/Symposium.
Building a Better Future
BPhil in Education (Special Educational Need)
Advanced Certificate in Autism (UK)
Teacher’s Certificate (HK)
May has been teaching children in mainstream schools and special schools for more than 30 years, both in Hong Kong and in Singapore. She obtained her teaching qualifications in Hong Kong. In the area of special education, she obtained the Bachelor of Philosophy in Education (Special Educational Needs) from the University of Exeter as well as the Advanced Certificate in Autism for children from University of Birmingham.
May has worked with children with special education needs aged 2 to 12 years. For 14 years, she was the programme co-ordinator for Autism Spectrum Disorders Programme at Chaoyang Special School (APSN). May also taught in the STEP Programme at Rainbow Centre in Singapore. She was the Early Intervention Programme Manager at Thomson Paediatric Centre. Experienced and passionate in working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning and behavioural difficulties (such as Dyslexia and other Learning Disabilities), May was also actively involved in curriculum design, programme planning, professional development and parent support at the various centres she had worked in.
May received the NCSS-MOE Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award and the Innovation Award in 2008. Since then, her contribution to the Special Education sector has extended to national and international platforms. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, May was in the pioneer team in prototyping social emotional learning for children with special needs using PATHs Curriculum from Pennsylvania, US. She presented her work at MOE Excel Fest, Sped Learning Day, PATHs Conference (US) and the 20th Asian Conference on Intellectual Disabilities.
Special Education Teacher
Advanced Diploma in Special Education
Isabella completed her studies at the College of Allied Educators in Advanced Diploma in Special Education, during which she went to Cognitive Developmental Learning Centre and St. Clare School for Special Education for attachment. Currently, she is working on acquiring an Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Intervention (Special Needs) at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Previously, she worked as an Early Intervention Teacher Assistant for 3 years at Thomson Paediatric Centre - The Child Development Centre. There, she assisted teachers with students' learning and behaviour. She also executed planned programmes and managed children with difficult, challenging behaviours and a range of diagnoses including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder and Developmental Delay.
At the SKILT Centre, Isabella is part of the Pioneer Team working on the setting up and resource preparation for the centre. Her main role is as an Early Intervention Teacher. She loves working with children and hopes to give them the proper intervention they need. She believes that every child with Special Needs has potential and would like to work together with family members/caregivers to support child with skills required to enable them functioning in various settings. She believes in family empowerment and equipping caregivers with the skills to manage their child.
Special Education Teacher
As a special needs educator, Geoffrey believes that no two children will manifest the exact same behaviour challenges. One needs to embrace and appreciate the many differences before working with a child who has special needs. Only in understanding their differences can we help to sieve out their strengths and uniqueness. As the saying goes, a child with special needs is ‘First a child, then the diagnosis’. This is a value which he upholds dearly in his course of work.
As a versatile individual, Geoffrey has had the opportunity to hold a number of professional roles, such as music teacher, both in class room and private settings, as well as a community worker for children and youths in a Social Service Agency. Through the experience as a music teacher, he was fortunate enough to educate a diverse group of Primary and Secondary school students, seeing them grow musically in their skills as well as passion. His experience as a community worker has given him the opportunity to interact with children and youths and their families. He believes these experiences has enabled him to reach out to every child and help them to grow into better and stronger individual.
Just as every child is unique, the approach to help the child is also individualized and catered to the child’s needs. Therefore, it is his passion and dream to help each child to be successful at an early age. It is his hope that when they reach the age to attend formal school, they are properly equipped to excel and achieve independence.
Building a Better Future
Speech & Language Therapist
Certified Speech & Language Therapist (AHPC Registered) Singapore
MSc Human Communication Sciences (UK)
Member of RCSLT and SHAS, We CAN Autism Certified,
Hanen Certified, PECS Trained, Sensory Integration (M.O.R.E) Trained (Hawaii)
Viniti Puri is a Certified Speech & Language Therapist, specializing in Paediatric Speech, Language and Social Communication Deficits such as Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is also the Clinical Director of Gigg’s Human Communication Centre, a private Speech & Language Therapy Center. She is a skilled Health-Care professional with over 18 years of experience in both Clinical and Teaching work. She has been in Private Practice since 2003.
Her clinical work encompasses Early Identification, Diagnosis and Intervention of Speech, Language, Communication & Related Disorders. She has worked extensively and collaborated with diverse organizations such as Restructured Hospitals, Private Centre’s, NGO’s, Special Schools and Mainstream Schools in Singapore. She has been actively involved in both teaching and research at Schools, Private Colleges, National Institute of Education and James Cook University (Singapore).
Viniti Puri has undergone Professional Clinical Training to perform and carry out a variety of Treatment/Intervention Techniques/Strategies. Hanen Early Language Programs (It takes Two To Talk, More Than Words), Picture Exchange Communication System PECS, We CAN Autism Certification (Module 1), Sensory Integration (M.O.R.E) Program are some of the tools/techniques that she utilizes when working with Children in their Early Years. Some of her Best Practices include Client-Centered Learning/Peer-Mediated Learning/Positive Learning Climate/Prepared Learning/Monitoring Progress. Viniti strongly believes in a collaborative Parent-Therapist Partnership that empowers parents as Language Facilitators enabling their children to connect and communicate with the world. She encourages parents to observe her sessions to have a better understanding and application of skills taught.
Viniti Puri has worked in collaboration with visiting Emeritus Professor Libby.G.Cohen (Associate Dean Research; James Cook University Singapore) and Professor Loraine J. Spenciner (University of Maine, Farmington USA) to create the content for the companion website and instructor’s manual that accompanies the book “Assessment for Children and Youth with Special Needs, 4e".
Senior Occupational Therapist
Certified Occupational Therapist (AHPC Registered) Singapore
BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy (Cardiff, UK)
Eunice graduated from Cardiff University (UK) with First Class Honours in Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy) in 2006. She has worked in voluntary welfare organisations and private clinics, working extensively with children with various developmental conditions and needs such as Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, Global Developmental Delay, Sensory Processing Disorder, handwriting difficulties, and visual motor/visual perceptual difficulties, amongst others. She was previously part of the EIPIC (Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children) team at the Spastics Association of Singapore).
Besides providing therapy, Eunice also conducts training programmes for caregivers and teachers. Her research paper on the effectiveness of home programmes for caregivers has been presented at national and regional levels. She is trained in Neuro-developmental Treatment (Paediatrics), special seating, and Signposts, among other common Occupational Therapy approaches.
Eunice is passionate to help young children overcome their developmental challenges by working closely with all stakeholders.
Special Needs Therapist
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Graduate Diploma in Psychology
Cecilia graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology before moving on to pursue her Graduate Diploma in Psychology at James Cook University, with focus towards inclusive education in Singapore.
Cecilia has been teaching and supporting children with diverse needs since 2012. Previously an Early Intervention Teacher in AWWA, she led and planned classes for children below age 7 with varied diagnoses, in-cluding Down Syndrome, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Global Developmental Delay, Speech and Language Delay, and other learning disabilities. She is also trained in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapy, working with children with severe to moderate needs at their homes.
Cecilia is also a certified Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) advanced user and an advanced user of the Assessment and Evaluation Programming System (AEPS), an assessment tool used throughout the EIPIC centres.
Cecilia conducts the Structured Teaching Program, School Shadow Support and Social Skills Classes at the SKILT Centre.
Making a Difference One Child at a Time
Special Needs English and Mandarin Language Teacher
BASc, Psychology
Post Graduate Certificate
Cara is a trained Special Education Teacher in both English and Chinese language, with more than 5 years of experience helping children with learning disorders such as Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder. She graduated from National University of Singapore in 2009 with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and went on to complete a Postgraduate course in Specific Learning Differences with the London Metropolitan University in 2012. In her years of practice, Cara has supported children of varying ages and profiles in their literacy development, enabling them to reach their fullest potential.