“Why can’t he stand still for even just one minute?”

“She’s so strange.  She reads standing on one leg leaning against a wall.”

These were just two of the questions that 15 individuals of different ages and from various backgrounds explored together at our first Tutor’s Basic Training Course on Special Educational Needs (SEN) Children, held on two different Saturdays in February and March.  The received training to know what an SEN child “looks like” and how to help them cope with the demands they face at school and in life.

According to Hong Kong government statistics, the number of SEN children enrolled in public primary schools has risen by 37% since 2011.  We are responding to this growing need by forming the “A Village Makes SENse” Programme.  It is a one-stop learning hub built with love and care for SEN children.  We will help them to not only complete their homework (a daily battle for them and their parents), but also to build skills that have direct application to the daily tasks they must master.  The programme also trains people who are interested in giving SEN children after-school support, regardless of whether or not they end up serving at our centre.  We believe that when more of us understand and are equipped to help, the better off the entire community.