'My son, 8, has uneven cognitive ability, in which he has a limited ability to understand and express the meaning of individual words. He also has very poor ability to perceive and solve space-related problems. The school he is in cannot fully help pupils like my son and my son is helpless without professional help. Although an expert from the Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital has made recommendations to the Education Ministry last March, which will help my son, nothing has materialised. My son lags acutely behind his classmates academically because of his condition and despite encouraging support from his school and family. School will only get tougher as he grows older. I appeal to the ministry to understand a mother's anxiety and institute the expert's recommendation for an assessment.'

MADAM JUDY KONG

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 22 Nov, 2008.