DRIVEN BY THE fear that Catherine De Padua’s Down syndrome daughter may hamper the academic progress of the Year 1 (Standard 1) class, the parents of children in the class held a petition, pressing the international school to remove the seven-year-old. The petition was rejected but the disdain towards the girl did not stop. She was bullied throughout her schooling years until Catherine finally pulled her out of the system.
There is, surprisingly, still a prevailing stigma against those who are neurodivergent, even among adults. Reactions typically come in the form of avoidance, rejection and even intimidation.
This gap in the system led Catherine back to university at the age of 50 to learn how to educate and help those who are neurodivergent. She later developed a curriculum and started OakTree Resource Centre, a homeschool system for special needs education that provides holistic development, including functional academic skills and communication skills.