ValSped student excels in mainstream School

FOR a student with special needs like John Denrick Lim, disability was not a hindrance to being an achiever. Although he belongs to the vulnerable group who some may conclude as less than the average students, he has excelled beyond expectations and capped the school year with flying colors. Eleven- year old Denrick was clinically diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder ( ASD) at age three. But her mother, Dencie Lim, was hopeful that her child’s predicament woud not stop him from shining academically.

Her son was enrolled in speech and occupational therapy sessions at the Valenzuela Special Education Center ( ValSped) but was also immersed in a regular section of second graders at Malinta Elementary School. His impairment, however, did not stop him from excelling in his class.

In the coming school year, Denrick is about to jump four grade levels ahead as he is expected to enroll as a sixth grader from second grade after passing the Philippine Educational Placement Test ( PEPT) last January.

PEPT, the website of the Department of Education ( DepEd) says, is under the Accreditation and Equivalency Program as mandated by “Linking Formal and Non- Formal Education and Training Systems through an Expanded Accreditation and Equivalency Program.”

Opened last January 2016, ValSped focuses on intervention programs that will hone their skills to prepare them for a life in mainstream classes [ and the society as a whole], which is the local administration’s ultimate goal of providing “inclusive” public education system under the acclaimed Education 360 Degrees Investment Program.

The center is offering occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy (language enrichment) sessions, among others.