2019

1) The Lien Foundation – Workshops for Parents/Caregivers of Persons with Special Needs

The Social Factor will be working with The Lien Foundation to organise a series of 3 workshops. The objectives are as follows:

1. To help participants build resilience for their parenting journey alongside their child and/or as a family unit;
2. To introduce the idea of self advocacy for children with disabilities/learning difficulties, equipping participants with skills to enable their children to socialise better and achieve better socio-emotional development; and
3. To help parents manage issues such those related to marriage, sibling relationships and depression.

2) Orchid Park Secondary School – Teacher Workshop on “No Child Left Behind”: Creating a Culture of Inclusion in the Classroom

This was a workshop centred on inclusion; to help participants gain an insight into the concepts of awareness, understanding and inclusion, in order to create a culture of inclusion in the school. While participants were provided with an introduction to the various special needs e.g. Autism/ASD, ADHD and Dyslexia, the workshop was focused primarily at helping students with special needs deal with their learning challenges against the context of a wider school environment.

3) Orchid Park Secondary School – Peer Support Programme

The Social Factor conducted a workshop series for 31 Peer Support Leaders. The workshops were intended to help the students better support their peers in the areas of active listening and how to be a friend. As part of the school’s thrust to promote inclusion, the participants underwent a sensory awareness and inclusion programme which helped them gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by students with special needs.

4) Orchid Park Secondary School – SEN Workshop Series

This was a 3-part workshop series intended to help students with special needs deal with the challenges of life. The workshop covered the following topics:

How to Address Sensory & Emotional Distractions

Planning & Organising: A Roadmap to Success

Voluntary Thinking vs Autopilot Thinking: A 2 System Approach

Memory Games to Build Your Brain Power

Neurobics – How to Exercise Your Brain

The Hungry Brain – How to Eat Right

Stress, Relaxation & Self Care

5) Jurong Calvary Kindergarten – Creating a Safe Space: How to Help Your Child Manage Transitions from Home to Pre-school and Primary School”

The Social Factor conducted a workshop for parents at Jurong Calvary Kindergarten to help them manage the transitions faced by their children. The workshop discussed theories of change & transition and anxiety & stress, examining the human development theories that underpin these issues. Parents were also provided with strategies to help their kids manage the transition, and learning was through interactive discussions and case studies.

6) Dunearn Secondary School – Learning Workshop Series

This is the third year that The Social Factor is collaborating with Dunearn Secondary School to conduct workshops for students with special needs. The theme for the year was on Confidence & Self-Management and students were taught to build up these important life skills through interactive games and learning activities.

7) Anderson Secondary School – Workshop Series on Focus & Concentration

The Social Factor conducted a 4-part workshop series for students with learning challenges. The topics were as follows:

Voluntary Thinking vs Autopilot Thinking: A 2 System Approach

How to Address Sensory & Emotional Distractions

Memory Games & Neurobics to Build Your Brain Power

How to Eat Right, Manage Stress & Care for the Self

8) Marymount Convent – Understanding Our Differences: An Insider’s Guide into Special Needs & Sensory Issues

The Social Factor conducted a workshop for 100 teachers at Marymount Convent with the following objectives: 

1. To help participants have a better understanding of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and the etiology of the disorder;
2. To understand various other sensory and neurological disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD);
3. To understand about learning challenges such as Dyslexia; and
4. To learn about various classroom strategies that can be used to help students with SPD, ASD, ADHD and Dyslexia.

9) Geylang Methodist School (Secondary) – The Traffic Jam in the Brain: Understanding & Helping Students with Autism.

The Social Factor conducted a breakout workshop for 30 teachers at GMSS which covered the following topics:

• Special Needs – Characteristics & Concerns; Terms of Reference
• Sensing the World Around: From the Eyes of a Child with Special Needs
• Sensory Processing Disorder – Characteristics & Etiology
• Vestibular & Proprioception: the Lesser-known Senses
• Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Classroom Strategies
• How Can I Help? A Roleplay

10) Yishun Town Secondary School – Understanding Special Educational Needs: Classroom Strategies to Help Students with SEN.

The Social Factor conducted a workshop for 100 teachers to help them better understand classroom strategies to help students with special educational needs. 

11) Yishun Town Secondary School – Workshop on Dyslexia

The Social Factor conducted a workshop for 10 students with dyslexia with the following objectives:

a. To help students with special needs in the area of social-emotional awareness, in order for them to become more aware of their motivations, esteem needs, surrounding environment, and in the process develop executive functioning skills; and

b. To help students with special needs learn better, and in the process develop stronger studying and working habits.

c. To help students with special needs adopt a growth mindset in their learning about their various strengths and learning styles.

12) CHIJ (Our Lady of Good Counsel) – 2-Part SEN Workshop

The Social Factor is conducting a 2-part workshop to help students learn better.

The workshops have the following objectives:

a. To help students understand how the brain facilities learning;

b. To help students identify their learning styles & their strengths; and acquire effective study skills.

c. To help students with special needs learn better, and in the process develop stronger studying and working habits.

13) Ngee Ann Polytechnic – Peer Support Training for Students

This is the 3rd year that The Social Factor is conducting Peer Support training for Ngee Ann Poly Peer Helpers.

The 2-day student programme has the following objectives:

1. To help students gain a better understanding of themselves and how their life experiences have affected the person whom they are.
2. To understand the importance of empathy.
3. To learn active listening and effective friendship skills in order to be a better help to their friends.
4. To learn about common youth issues and signs of distress, and how to recognise when a friend needs help.
5. To learn about the various support strategies & resources and how to help a friend in need.

14) Park View Primary School – Learning for Life Workshop Series

The Social Factor is conducting a workshop series for 14 students at Park View Primary School. 

a. To help students with special needs in the area of body awareness, in order for them to learn self control and better manage behavioural issues;

b. To help students with special needs in the area of social-emotional awareness, in order for them to become more aware of their motivations, esteem needs, surrounding environment, and in the process develop executive functioning skills; and

c. To help students with special needs learn better, and in the process develop stronger studying and working habits.

The topics covered include the following:

Understanding Your Strengths, Identity & Self Esteem, Managing Thinking Errors & Negative Automatic Thoughts, Understanding Social Behaviour, Social Cues & Turn Taking and How to Address Sensory & Emotional Distractions.

15) Compassvale Secondary School – Focus & Concentration Workshop Series

The Social Factor conducted a workshop series for 5 students at Compassvale Secondary School.

The topics covered included: Voluntary Thinking vs Autopilot Thinking, The Hungry Brain – How to Eat Right, and Memory Games to Boost Your Brain Power.

16) Mayflower Secondary School – Social Skills Workshop Series

The Social Factor is conducting a workshop series for 8 students at Mayflower Secondary School. 

The programme had the following goals:

a. To help students with special needs in the area of body awareness, in order for them to learn self control and better manage behavioural issues;

b. To help students with special needs in the area of social-emotional awareness, in order for them to become more aware of their motivations, esteem needs, surrounding environment, and in the process develop executive functioning skills; and

b. To help students with special needs learn better, and in the process develop stronger studying and working habits.

17) Bt Batok Secondary School – ADHD Workshop for Teachers

The Social Factor conducted an ADHD Workshop for staff at Bt Batok Secondary School. The workshop, for 40 participants, was intended to help teachers develop a better understanding of ADHD and learn strategies on how to help students in the classroom.

18) St Andrew’s Autism School – Workshops for Parents on Healthy & Safe Relationships (HSR)

The Social Factor conducted a workshop for the Parent Support Group at St Andrew’s Autism School. The topics covered included:

An Overview of Healthy & Safe Relationships

Protecting Myself – Personal Space & How to Draw Boundaries

Protecting Myself – How to Recognise Appropriate Touch

Making Friends – How to Develop Stranger Awareness

19) Health Promotion Board – Next Steps: Managing the Transition to Primary School – Pre-School Teachers’ Training Workshops (2018-2020)

The Social Factor has won the contract for 7 full-day sessions of workshops. The sessions aim to help teachers understand the transition experience of pre-school aged students and equipping them with the necessary skills and resources to manage the primary school experience effectively. At the end of the session, teachers will:

• Recognise the key differences between the pre-school vs. primary school experience
• Understand how change and transition induces stress and anxiety in children
• Normalise and manage transition-related stress and anxiety in children
• Demonstrate how primary school can be a positive experience
• Engage parents in transition planning
• Encourage help-seeking and help-giving amongst children pre and post transition