Jia Yan

Jia Yan has been working with children with Autism and special needs since 2013. Her work at Special Needs Schools focused on equipping children with skills and strategies needed to function more independently in academic, vocational, and daily living skills. She worked with teachers, parents, as well as other therapists, to create holistic care and support for the students. Therapy sessions were not just limited to task completion, but also improvement of underlying cognitive and motor skills that underpin successful participation in school activities.

She was responsible for planning the therapy sessions from start to discharge. This included doing classroom observations, pre assessments, therapy intervention, post assessments, updating teachers and parents, providing feedback or necessary adaptations, and follow ups. She also worked closely with her therapist assistants, planning activities for them and overseeing their work. Therapy was provided in different settings, as a pull-out session or a push-in session, where the student was seen in the classroom environment. 

Outside of work, I enjoy travelling, and leading an active lifestyle by working out and playing badminton. I also enjoy hands on activities like making polymer clay jewellery. Her love for badminton and working with children saw her volunteering to coach the students at the badminton CCA in Tanglin School. Working with children requires a lot of patience and understanding, yet they make it so worthwhile and meaningful with their innocence and playfulness.