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The Growing Academy recognizes that each child is unique and strongly believes in customizing interventions to fit the needs of each child. By incorporating the principles of Applied Behvaiour Analysis (ABA), The Growing Academy helps students learn skills by breaking down complex tasks into smaller manageable steps. The Growing Academy has successfully helped students improve their quality of living by enabling them master skills essential for daily living. The Growing Academy has also helped many students bridge the gap between mainstream and special needs learning, such that these students are able to integrate back into mainstream schools for their future education.

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Associate Psychologist, Principal Therapist and Founding Partner at The Growing Academy

Ling graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) majoring in Psychology from the University at Buffalo. In 2013, Ling also completed her summer school with University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley). With a strong interest in the special needs field, Ling further pursued to be an Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) therapist, trained under a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) from the United Kingdom. From there, she started serving children with special needs, mainly autism, in private therapy centers and their homes. Ling then moved on to work with the Ministry of Social and Family services in Singapore where she provided trainings to caregivers and workshops to teachers and other allied professionals.

In 2017, Ling decided to embark on establishing The Growing Academy with her sister, Le. The Growing Academy specializes in providing a blend of pre-school curriculum and therapy under one roof. The Growing Academy aims to support these children by helping them meet their milestones and bridge the gap between mainstream teaching structure and special needs. The Growing Academy’s holistic half or full day programmes entail different day to day learning topics, safe in and outdoor play and tailored therapy approaches to every child’s learning needs.

Yang Ling

Nicole Lu

BSc Physiotherapy (HONS) UK
Diploma in Sports & Exercise Science
Trained in DMA Clinical Pilates
Allied Health Professions Council (Singapore)
AHPC Registration No: A1301063D

When Nicole completed her Diploma in Sports & Exercise Science at Republic Polytechnic, she realised that she wanted to become a Physiotherapist as she excelled in anatomy-related modules. Upon graduation, she pursued a Bachelor of Physiotherapy from University of Bradford with honours in the United Kingdom.

Upon graduation, she began her career with Singapore General Hospital (SGH) – where she worked in both inpatient medical, geriatrics and orthopaedics teams and outpatient department musculoskeletal teams. She was also involved in treating patients at the Autoimmune & Rheumatology Centre. Her stint at SGH has allowed her to be part of the medical team in sporting events such as the Standard Chartered Marathon in the year 2014 and 2015. She was awarded the Silver Singhealth Service Quality award in 2016 for her recognized work in patient care.

Nicole then worked at Gleneagles Hospital where she was further exposed in treating patients from all walks of nationalities and medical disciplines, including toddlers and various intensive care unit.

As she continues to pursue knowledge in the Physiotherapy world, she has attained certification in Osteon Manual Therapy’s Dry Needling course. As an avid sportsperson, Nicole understands the demands on the physical body and has had her fair share of sports injuries. She strongly believes in long-term prevention in all injuries through patient education and a tailored rehabilitation programme.

Gwen Heng

Senior Speech Therapist (Full Time)

Gwen is a fully registered Speech Therapist under the Allied Health Professional Council in Singapore. She graduated from the University of Sydney in 2012 with first class honours and a university medal.

Prior to joining BSSC, Gwen was a paediatric speech therapist at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), where she had more than 6 years’ experience working with infants and children. She is knowledgeable and skilled in a wide range of complex feeding, speech and language disorders.

Gwen was also the lead Speech Therapist who ran the voice clinic in KKH where she worked with preschoolers with vocal cord nodules and teenagers with puberphonia.

Gwen has strong communication skills which helps her build good rapport with the child and their family. She believes in the importance of parental and caregiver involvement in helping every child achieve their potential in feeding and communication.

Gwen is an Allied Health Professional Council (AHPC) Supervisor and has helped many junior Speech Therapist achieve their clinical competency.

Accreditation and certification in:

  • Bachelor of Applied Science (Speech Pathology) – First Class Honours and University Medal (University of Sydney)
  • Videofluroscopy Swallow Study (VFSS) in infants and children
  • Oral Placement Therapy (Talktools)
  • Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding
  • Voicecraft
  • Certified Allied Health Professional Council (AHPC) Supervisor for Speech Therapists

Moona Islam

Principal Speech Therapist (Full Time)

Moona is from London and has been practicing as a Speech Therapist for almost 8 years. She has been working in Singapore for more than 2 years and is a fully registered Speech Therapist under the Allied Health Professional Council in Singapore.  Moona graduated with a Masters’ degree from City, University of London.

Moona specialises in working with children with complex needs, trained in both communication and swallowing disorders.  Moona has gained extensive knowledge and skills working with infants, children and adolescents with mild to severe disorders, including challenging behaviour.

She uses a holistic approach to achieve the best possible outcomes.  Moona has worked with clients from multicultural backgrounds, is respectful and able to adapt accordingly.

Moona’s greatest hope is to develop innovative solutions to help as many clients (children and adults) to access proper Speech Therapy services, as well as raise awareness locally and internationally.

Accreditation and Certification in:

  • Master of Science in Speech and Language Therapy (City, University of London, United Kingdom)
  • Manchester Post Basic Dysphagia Course (Manchester, United Kingdom)
  • Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding
  • Wolf and Glass Feeding Training
  • Cervical Auscultation Training
  • Hanen: It Takes Two To Talk (Melbourne, Australia)
  • Makaton For Professionals
  • Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
  • Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH)
  • Managing Incidents of Challenging Behaviour by Dave Hewitt
  • Telepractice in Speech Therapy – Principles and Practicalities

Guo Hua

Senior Occupational Therapist

As an Occupational Therapist at MindChamps Allied Care, Guo Hua has been practicing since 2011 in the private pediatric and school setting.  Over the years, he has seen and manage a diverse caseload with clients ranging from children to adults with the following conditions:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
  • Developmental Delay
  • Learning Disabilities

 

Training & Qualification

Guo Hua is trained in the following:

  • Sensory Integration Praxis Test (SIPT)
  • Social thinking (Michelle Garcia Winner)
  • Cognitive Orientation for Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP)
  • Greenspan Floortime Approach

 

Registration

  • Allied Health Professions Council (Full Registration) Registration Number: A1300128G

 

Qualifications

  • Master of Science Occupational Therapy, Queen Margaret University (Edinburgh)
  • Diploma in Occupational Therapy, Nanyang Polytechnic

 

Research

  • Berry-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration: lessons from exploration of cultural variations in visual motor integration performance of preschoolers (Child, Care, Health and development September 2014)

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