IT IS barely three months into a new school year and I have been receiving calls at least once a week from teachers demanding that I get my son to do his homework.

The reason, they say, is for him to learn, but little do they understand that he's unlike normal children and does not understand or read like they do. He is a special needs child who needs one-to-one attention and is unable to read a single word in his textbook despite being in Primary 3 this year.

Many times, I have been the one doing the homework for him and he has been merely copying my answers.

He had met an officer from the Ministry of Education when he was in Primary 1 - the only such meeting - and I was told my son was slower than other children of the same age group. He was later referred to a child development unit for further assessment (which never happened); he was also transferred to another school because I went through a divorce and had to sell my flat.

For the past one year or so, I have been clueless as to what's happening to my son's education and I do not know who I can ask for help.

Currently, I am getting the help of KK Women's and Children's Hospital to get my son into a special school, which would be more suitable for him.

It seems as if in regular schools, the emphasis is on homework and getting good results. I wish my son is like normal children who can study and read, but the fact is that he's not.

Can I ask for some breathing room for both of us? Stop stressing the things he cannot do.

As for the assessment by the child development unit, how much longer do I need to wait?

Or will things be left just as they are, where parents like me are left alone to face the challenges of educating a special needs child?

Audrey Aw (Ms)