Temasek Poly students and alumni raise awareness of hidden disabilities

After seeing their son go from getting As in the first two years of primary school to suddenly bringing home U (ungraded) grades, Mr Bryan Teo’s parents were concerned with his sudden change.

- Syarafana Shafeeq

They suspected he had a learning disability, and following specialist checkups, he was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight.

The diagnosis explained why he had trouble keeping up in class and understanding lessons. Dyslexia mainly involves difficulties with word recognition, connecting sounds and letters, and spelling, but can also impact memory, organisation, time management and communication.

Even with the diagnosis, the condition affected him in many life phases, as not many people are aware of such hidden disabilities, Mr Teo, now 23, said at a community event on Oct 5.

The event at Punggol Regional Library saw Temasek Polytechnic (TP) students and alumni advocate and raise greater public awareness of such disabilities.

These include conditions like autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, which are not immediately obvious to others or may not have physical markers.

Among the activities on offer were storytelling sessions and booths to help members of the public better understand conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and mild intellectual disabilities.