The Problem 

57% of ethnic minorities with special educational needs (SEN) drop out of school between primary and secondary levels. Those who are non-Chinese speaking (NCS) and have SEN are a minority group within a minority group and have historically been ignored by the education system in Hong Kong.  

Ethnic minority families with children with special educational needs (SEN) are lacking support. They face several obstacles ranging from long waiting times for clinical assessments, language barriers, insufficient therapy support, and lack of affordable private practitioners. Parents do not how best to support their children at home.

Our Work

Building on our experience working with over 1,000 ethnic minority families with children who need special care, we will soon open the first Special Educational Needs Centre for ethnic minority children in Hong Kong. This will serve public primary school children and will be linguistically and culturally appropriate.  

We believe in a holistic and collaborative approach. We will work directly with the child with SEN, their parent(s), and the school. The children we serve will have access to specialists and therapists. In addition, their parents will undertake training to be able to manage their child’s ongoing development.

Services

All the services will be provided in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Nepali. At this time, the SEN Center will serve children suspected of having ADHD and Autism. Specialist therapists (including but not limited to behavior therapists, speech therapists, etc.) will be engaged to provide relevant therapies to each child.  

Eligibility

  • Be aged 6 to 13
  • Be a resident of Hong Kong
  • Identify as an ethnic minority in Hong Kong
  • Study in a Public Primary School in Hong Kong
  • Not be in a SEN School receiving therapy

If you are accepted to receive the therapy, the child and parent will commit to undertaking all sessions to be provided. Parents will be committed to paying a deposit of HK$300 which will be repaid in full provided all sessions are attended or advance notice is received in case of cancellation. The Zubin Foundation reserves the right to use its discretion to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.  

Refer a Child

If you are a teacher, staff, or social worker at a school and want to refer a student to the SEN Centre, please click below to submit the referral form. 

If you are not a teacher, staff, or social worker at a school and want to refer a child to the SEN Centre, school, please dial 96823100 and talk to our counsellors on Call Mira, who can assist.  

Benefits of the SEN Centre 

  • 10 free specialist therapy sessions for the SEN child
  • Customised parent workshops with The Zubin Foundation in Hindi, Urdu and Nepali 
  • Supportive community of experts 
Our Team
 
Advisory Committee
  • Dr. Melissa Ortega (Clinical Psychologist)  
  • Dr. Reena Choi (Clinical Psychologist)   
  • Dr. Se Fong Hung (Child Psychiatrist)  
  • Sharmila Rodricks (Learning Enhancement Teacher)  
  • Urvi Kamdar (Occupational Therapy)  
  • Prof Valerie Pereira (Speech Therapy)  
  • Dr. Wong Lai Yin(Pediatrician)
  • Peggy Kan (Speech Therapy) 

For bios, please click below:

Our Partner

Division of Speech Therapy, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Our Sponsor

Operation Santa Claus and Morgan Stanley

Contact
 Call Mira on 96823100.