How My Children’s Challenges Inspired a Career in SEN

Written by Edwina Woo, Recipient of the 2024 DAS & DAS Academy MASEN/ALN Scholarship

When my first child was a pre-schooler, I read up on the different methods to teach reading to him. I taught him phonics and sight words all on my own. He was able to read simple books before he enrolled into Primary 1. I was a proud mother and thought teaching reading was a pinch of salt.

Then came my second child. I used the same method and no matter how hard I tried with many repetitions, she could not progress the same way as my first child did. Subsequently, she was diagnosed with dyslexia. Her younger brother has the same diagnosis too.

The heartbreaking part isn’t the diagnosis itself but the impact on their social and emotional well-being. As they enter primary school, they are aware of the learning gap between them and their peers. That’s when I had to deal with my daughter’s anxiety and my son’s low self-esteem. On top of guiding them with their school work, I have to be mindful of the words I use and give constant encouragement using the growth mindset.

Since their diagnosis, they have benefited from DAS programmes – namely the preschool programme, main literacy programme and speech and language therapy. As a parent who is clueless about dyslexia and trying to do my best with my limited knowledge, the teachers at DAS constantly assured me that I was doing well as a mother and they could empathise with the problems my family faced. This connection made me feel heard and encouraged that my effort meant something to my children, despite their slow progress.

2 years ago, I made a drastic decision to quit my well-paying full-time role and am now a freelance financial coach. This allows me to spend more time with my children to improve their reading and academic work. However, I was ill-equipped to guide my children effectively. While I was able to learn a few tricks from various sources like books, teachers and online videos, I was unable to adapt them to suit my children’s needs.

Hence I started looking out for courses to learn more about Special Educational Needs with the ultimate goal to guide my children better. I came across the Master of Arts in Special Educational Needs / Additional Learning Needs programme and was intrigued by the combination of theoretical learning and hands-on experiences it offers. I love learning and this course will allow me to delve into the topic of supporting learners with Special Educational Needs by going deep into the theories and fundamentals. As a single mother with limited funds, the scholarship enables me to fulfil my role to be a supportive mother and at the same time, propel me to a new industry in Special Educational Needs.

This course is over 3 years. This duration is crucial as by the end of the course, my second child would have finished her primary school. Her educational milestone will coincide with my graduation from the programme. This will be my signpost to move on to my next chapter.

I am always thankful for the professionals I met during this journey and how they have been supportive and given me hope when parenting gets tough. I want to pay it forward. The next chapter of my career is to go into the Special Educational Needs sphere to empower families who are in similar situations as mine.