The Importance of Early Intervention: Why Starting Early Makes a Difference

Being a part of the social sector, I served the children with special needs and their family in the community in an Early Intervention Centre. I had the opportunity to work in a Trans-Disciplinary team and learn beyond my scope in occupational therapy. The different professionals came together and use one framework to assess and set goals in the IEP together. I was able to learn from many professionals such as Speech Therapists, Physiotherapists, Early Intervention Teachers, Psychologists and Social Workers. These experiences equipped me with knowledge of various professions and come up with interventions and trategies more holistically for our children.

Hellows is a fully registered Speech Therapist with the Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) and brings over 11 years of extensive experience working in Singapore. She is a dedicated and compassionate clinician who has provided services across a wide range of settings, including early intervention centers, special education schools, preschools, and adult-care facilities. Her clinical expertise spans across the lifespan, from infancy to adulthood.

Hellows has worked with diverse client populations with varying needs, including individuals with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, ADHD, and other developmental conditions. Her areas of specialization include speech and language development, social communication, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and feeding and swallowing difficulties.

She is deeply committed to empowering caregivers by equipping them with strategies to support their children across home and community environments. Hellows is trained in the HANEN® Program and regularly conducts caregiver workshops and training sessions. She is skilled at individualizing her therapy approaches, tailoring interventions to align with each child’s unique strengths and the family’s goals.

Believing strongly in the principle that learning is a lifelong journey, Hellows actively engages in professional development and knowledge-sharing. She contributes to the growth of the profession by supervising AHPC-registered therapists and supporting student clinical placements. She has mentored students from both local institutions such as the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), as well as international universities including Curtin University and Flinders University.

My clinical internship offered various experiences across health settings. Working at an inpatient mental health institution focusing on treating adolescents and adults deepened my knowledge about the relationship between functional abilities and mental health. While in pediatric clinics, I worked with children across a range of development and physical challenges, including sensory issues, motor delays, and difficulties with fine motor skills. I developed individualized intervention plans and implemented therapeutic activities tailored to each child’s unique needs, cultivating their skills in play, social participation, self care, and gross motor activities. All these enhanced my ability to adapt to different evidence-based interventions and strategies for pediatric populations and collaborate with the child’s families to ensure consistent progress.

Lastly, my experience in community rehabilitation helped me in understanding the importance of environmental factors, family dynamics and community resources in treatment planning and execution.

Upon completing her Bachelors in Occupational Therapy, Rismi gained experience in various clinical settings, including outpatient rehabilitation, forensic mental health, and acute hospital.

Rismi discovered her passion for working with children through her clinical experiences in outpatient paediatrics rehabilitation, where she collaborated with preschool and primary school-aged children facing sensory, behavioral, and motor challenges. She has supported children in developing their fine motor skills, sensory processing, handwriting, and emotional regulation. By adopting a holistic, child-led approach, Rismi ensures that therapy is engaging, meaningful, and tailored to each child’s strengths and needs.

Ali graduated from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh with a BSc in Occupational Therapy. She has worked both for NHS (in Scotland) and DHB (in New Zealand), holding a number of Senior Positions. She was the Lead OT in a busy inpatient unit in Auckland, and held the Clinic Leader Position within a Dual Diagnosis Residential Rehabilitation. She was also responsible for the upskilling and supervision of Community Mental Health professionals, offering training programmes and supervision, whilst evaluating and auditing existing services.

Ali has previously worked across a number of clinical specialties including Community Care (provision of Aids and Adaptations), Acute Adult Mental Health, Homeless Practice, Community Mental Health (Crisis Team), and Community Alcohol and Drug Services.

Since moving to SG, she has worked in various roles at an International School, and most recently as a Clinic Manager for a Psychology and Counselling provider, before joining KidsFirst.

Ray is an AHPC registered Occupational Therapist with clinical experience in Melbourne and Singapore.
After earning his master’s degree in occupational therapy from La Trobe University, Ray began his career in a private practice in Melbourne, where he provided tailored therapy services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, and other conditions. His clients ranged from children and teens to young adults facing a diverse range of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial challenges.

Ray then expanded his expertise by working in a hospital setting and providing rehabilitation to clients presenting with a wide range of different diagnosis and conditions where he supported his clients to improve their independence and quality of life through his physical and cognitive rehabilitation skills.

She has 13 years of working experience in different settings in Singapore.

Amelia’s journey in working with children commenced at age 17 when she served as a lifeguard and coach at a summer club. She then transitioned to the role of a physiotherapy assistant at a prestigious private hospital in the UK. Pursuing her passion further, she enrolled in university to pursue a degree in physiotherapy. Post-graduation, she embarked on a career in the National Health Service (NHS), gaining extensive experience through rotational physiotherapy placements in both adult and pediatric settings, including acute and community care. Progressing from a static pediatric band 5 physiotherapist to band 6, she honed her expertise before transitioning to a private pediatric practice where she specialized in Dynamic Movement Therapy (DMI). Concurrently, she continues her impactful work in the NHS as a specialist pediatric physiotherapist.

Peter graduated from the University of Ulster with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and has been living in Singapore for 11 years. During this time, he has worked within a private clinics in Singapore, and in 2 International School settings.

Clinically, Peter has worked with children from toddlers to teenagers and a variety of developmental and physical needs. Peter has worked with a variety of clinical needs including sensory processing difficulties, feeding challenges and various motor and learning challenges. 

Some recent notable professional achievements for Peter have been the opportunity to be a part of a development team for an Intensive Support Program in an international school setting, and the creation of in school Occupational Therapy services within another International school.

After graduating Sinead moved to Singapore where she worked for 2 years in school based early intervention with 0-6 year old children with Neuro physical And developmental delays. Sinead then went on to complete over 3 years in an acute hospital. In 2018 Sinead returned to work in paediatrics in a private setting where she got to work and train in the application of therasuit and neurosuit, spidercage therapy and Cuevas Medek Exercises (CME).

In 2021 Sinead made the decision to return to Ireland with her family, where she continued to work in paediatrics private practice. Being Ireland’s first CME therapist, Sinead worked in introducing this ground breaking therapy to families and therapists. Sinead assisted in setting up individualised intensives for clients and implementing intensives during school holidays.

Alzena worked in a paediatric setting in Australia and has experience in a variety of clinical areas. The areas include working with children that presents with speech and language difficulties and disorders, autism spectrum disorder, global developmental delay, social communication disorders, fluency disorders, and intellectual disabilities. Having completed a degree in social work, and a diploma in psychological studies, Alzena demonstrates a strong interest in working with the vulnerable population. She strives to advocate for her clients in pursuit of the best possible outcomes.

During her free time, Alzena also volunteered in a hospital supporting adults with chronic aphasia and special education school supporting children with special needs.

Holly has extensive experience working with children in different settings since graduating in 2009. She has worked with patients and their families in special education schools as well as in private therapy clinics.

She sees children aged 18 months to 18 years old with a variety of conditions and developmental disorders (autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, etc.). She has experience seeing them in individual sessions, group therapy sessions, home therapy as well as in tele-therapy.

She is particularly passionate about working with children aged 7 and under. She is keen to help them and their families build a good foundation for their child’s speech and language development.

She is fluent in English and Mandarin. She is also able to speak conversational Cantonese.

Prior to being an Occupational Therapist, Melissa held previous roles in early childhood and special education where she had the privilege to work with children and young adults with special needs in both school based and center based settings. These experiences gave her opportunities to assess and tailor interventions to meet the individual care needs and goals of her clients and families.

Prior to arriving in Singapore, Kacey worked as an allied health assistant in a private therapy clinic in Melbourne, where she found her passion in working with children with a wide range of needs. She was also a tutor for children with disabilities and find much joy in working with all children. Upon graduating with a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, Kacey has experience working in public healthcare settings, private and community clinics. In her career as a paediatric occupational therapist, she has worked closely with preschool and school-aged children to support the development of executive functions, emotional regulation, as well as other motor and learning challenges.

She has over 4 years of experience as an Occupational Therapist in special education in Singapore. Grace has experience working with children with autism, cerebral palsy and profound multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). In a school-based setting, she has worked closely with Individualised Education Program (IEP) team to support students in areas such as sensory integration, self-care skills, leisure participation, assistive technology prescription, and vocational training. Grace has carried out postural care interventions such prescription of specialised seating and sleep systems through collaboratively working with other therapists and providing parent coaching on 24-hour postural care. She has also conducted trainings for teachers in school to equip them with strategies that can be carried out in their classrooms.

Niamh graduated from the University of Ulster with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and has been living in Singapore for over 9 years. During this time, she has worked within a number of private clinics in Singapore, her roles include Clinic Manager of a centre based extensive MDT team and Lead Principal Occupational Therapist at Thomson Paediatric Centre. Niamh has vast Paediatric clinical experience working both in Ireland and Singapore. During Niamh’s practice she has worked with children with multiple developmental and physical needs. Niamh has clinically managed a caseload ranging in age, from infants to teenagers and young adults. This caseload has presented with various clinical needs including sensory processing difficulties, feeding challenges and various motor and learning challenges. Niamh is focused on a holistic therapy approach with a therapeutic focus on supporting a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Niamh has conducted a number of presentations and trainings in Singapore at the SENIA and early childhood conferences, alongside various international/local schools, and polytechnics. Niamh has also provided a number of parent trainings and workshops.

Samuel is an AHPC registered Speech-Language Therapist who believes that therapeutic success requires the harmonious teamwork of the therapist, caregiver, and the community. Following his Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Multilingual studies, he was awarded a postgraduate scholarship from the Ministry of Health to read Speech and Language Pathology at University of Sydney.

He has worked in a variety of settings across a wide range of populations in Singapore and Australia. Prior to joining KidsFirst, he worked in acute and community hospitals, providing assessment and intervention for clients with swallowing and communication difficulties. He is adept at treating language, speech, social and cognitive communication disorders and has also provided services at preschools, paediatric clinics and early intervention centres. These experiences have helped Samuel develop a broader understanding of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds that are involved in providing holistic speech therapy services.

In his time with public healthcare, Samuel spearheaded a national campaign that addressed the need for the provision of modified diets in the community. This pioneer campaign was publicly launched with media coverage and allowed Samuel to work with different community stakeholders to better understand their needs.

Niamh graduated from the University of Ulster with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and has been living in Singapore for over 9 years. During this time, she has worked within a number of private clinics in Singapore, her roles include Clinic Manager of a centre based extensive MDT team and Lead Principal Occupational Therapist at Thomson Paediatric Centre. Niamh has vast Paediatric clinical experience working both in Ireland and Singapore. During Niamh’s practice she has worked with children with multiple developmental and physical needs. Niamh has clinically managed a caseload ranging in age, from infants to teenagers and young adults. This caseload has presented with various clinical needs including sensory processing difficulties, feeding challenges and various motor and learning challenges. Niamh is focused on a holistic therapy approach with a therapeutic focus on supporting a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Niamh has conducted a number of presentations and trainings in Singapore at the SENIA and early childhood conferences, alongside various international/local schools, and polytechnics. Niamh has also provided a number of parent trainings and workshops.