She helped turn tears of sorrow to tears of joy

Ahmad is a toddler who had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Now in K2, Ahmad is raised by a single divorced dad in a one-room rental flat. Sadly, Ahmad’s mum left his dad when Ahmad was only a tot.

Joining a preschool from playgroup until K2, special care and attention was given to Ahmad.

Managing an ADHD child in a normal preschool isn’t easy. Often, such children have difficulties relating to other kids. They may also exhibit anti-social behaviours due to their condition.

When Ahmad was first enrolled in this preschool, his family did not send him for any psychological therapies or treatments. As a result, the child’s initial months were quite traumatic. His actions ranged from flipping chairs and tables to running around and screaming in the class.

That’s not all.

Ahmad’s dad suffered from severe depression.

Due to the stress from his divorce and the demands of caring for a special needs child, Ahmad’s father sometimes whacked Ahmad at the preschool in front of the teachers when the child was slow.

Occasionally, Ahmad’s dad shared that he wanted to commit suicide by jumping down from his flat to end it all. He was so affected that he even cried in front of the teachers in the preschool.

Thanks to the help from the preschool and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), Ahmad’s family has received help from a social worker.

Picture caption: Teacher Beatrice gave Ahmad an equal head start.

By providing the right forms of nurturing and teaching, teachers at the preschool helped Ahmad to better manage his ADHD.

From being unable to speak, Ahmad can now utter a few simple words. From being unable to read, Ahmad can now read simple stories.

Seeing his son’s progress, Ahmad’s dad was so grateful that he cried tears of joy. He was also convinced by the preschool to seek professional therapy for his autistic son, and to accept the help from social workers.

Inspired by the story of Ahmad? Join the Equal Head Start movement and play your part in helping kids from disadvantaged families. Visit us at Equalheadstart.sg and like us on Facebook. (http://facebook.com/equalheadstart).

This article was written and contributed by Walter Lim.