Active Special Needs, Shah Alam

My son's journey with Active Special Needs started in Sept 2019 after we transitioned him out from occupational therapy when he was about 8 years old.

To begin with, my son's upper body was not strong, so we thought the gym would be a good place to start. Every task is daunting for him because he dislikes new routines since young.
His biggest struggle and the hardest was the monkey bar.

He can barely hang on to 1 bar, and I wonder how he will ever complete the whole stretch of the monkey bar. It would take him forever.

After the COVID lockdown and home gym classes during MCO, Pek Har sent us a surprising video in April 2022 of him completing the whole stretch of the monkey bar with minimal support. As parents, we were floored, we couldn't believe our eyes and were so proud of him. He finally achieved it, and the journey was indeed very long with the perseverance of a committed gym therapist.

Closing to 5 years now, my son is still with Pek Har because consistency is the key to achieving results. The gym is a safe space for my son to socialize with other kids of the same age group. We are seeing tremendous growth in him nowadays.

Arielle joined the gym last year, 2023. She was 5.5 yrs old. She could not really crawl on her knees, run without falling and could not really walk on uneven or elevated ground. We had to carry her or put her in the stroller most of the time. Now, we are so proud that she crawls on her knees, runs confidently in the playground without tripping over, she walks on all sorts of textures and is not afraid to put her foot into things. She is able to climb up the stairs n slide down, pull herself up on the bar, play see-saw without screaming. What a beautiful progress in just one year. Ms Pek Har and the team really work with the body, soul and mind of the child, nudging my daughter patiently to her maximum potential. We are forever so grateful.

In 2021, I stumbled upon the Active Special Needs FB page and decided to enroll my son, who was five years old then. He was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Until today, I'm delighted that my decision to enroll him in the gym program was proven right. This is because the program shows great improvement in the aspect of motor skills and recently, he received a silver medal award in the school's track and field competition.

Lastly, my heartiest gratitude to Teacher Pek Har for her unwavering support and motivation for the better management of Shakir's growth development.

Sophia first joined Active Special Needs in Sept 2022. In the beginning, she was always running and jumping all over the place. She was unable to sit and wait for her turn and not taking instructions very well.

Pek Har has been very patient in handling her though it was not easy. She is very experienced in the area of special needs and understands Sophia’s sensory needs very well. She put in the extra effort to meet Sophia’s sensory needs during the gym class by giving her deep compression. This has helped her to regulate herself much better.

Today, Sophia able to sit longer and to take instructions better. After each class, she seems calmer and more regulated. She also is very excited to attend gym class each week.

In Pek Har class there is no boring routines or dull moments as she goes extra mile to design different and fun activities for the kids each week. Pek Har has shown that she is passionate about what she does and wants the best for each of her kids. So well done and keep up the good job and continue to be the best you always have been. We truly are grateful and appreciate your contribution in Sophia growth thus far.

Jia Her and Chien Le first joined Active Special Needs in April 2022. Initially, my son had trouble focusing, was clumsy, and frequently needed to use the restroom. He struggled to follow instructions, but Ms. Pek Har was patient and always found the best way to help him stay engaged in the activities assigned during each session.

She has extensive experience in training children with special needs and understands their requirements very well. In two years, my son has shown significant improvement in muscle strength, coordination, confidence, and concentration. Today, he is more flexible, has improved coordination, and has better balance. He looks forward to attending gym class each week because Ms. Pek Har always designs different and enjoyable activities for the kids.

As for my daughter, initially, she lacked of strength and was unable to climb monkey bars. Her grade in school physical education was a C, and her swimming coach also noted that her stamina was weak and she struggled to keep up with others. After nearly two years with Ms. Pek Har, she can now brachiate the monkey bars easily and has improved to an A grade in PE. Additionally, she can now swim using the butterfly style and has learned skills like handstands and cartwheels. The progress can be seen in the videos shared on Ms. Pek Har's Instagram. I could say it without Ms. Pek Har, kids wouldn't have achieved their tremendous progress. I deeply appreciate your great work!

My daughter Olivia had joined the Gym Class since 2019 until now (about 5 years). As at today she is still very excited to go for the weekly gym class. During the class she can learn to play in group with friends, meanwhile teacher will set up some challenges for her to try and teach her how to pass through all. I can see her improvement in term of gross motor and balancing.

On and off Coach Pek Har will send us some videos of how she achieved those challenges task which is quite surprised me and impressed.

I can always discuss with Coach Pek Har about my concern and the needs for Olivia. She is very friendly and passion. She will share her opinion with me and giving training to Olivia too.

The environment is clean and spacious. They will always disinfect the gym class after every session of class.

I will continue sending Olivia to gym class and expect more breakthroughs. Thank you Coach Pek Har for the patience.

We enrolled our son, Rafa, in the Active Special Needs program to help improve his gross motor skills and muscle strength, as recommended by his Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician as well as his Occupational Therapist. The program offers a variety of individual and group activities, including valuable playtime for socialization with peers. Teacher Pek Har is very hands-on and knows each child well. Each week brings new and engaging experiences.

We are incredibly grateful for the patience and expertise of Teacher Pek Har and her assistant teachers. They are knowledgeable and have a deep understanding of how to support and help children like Rafa. Over the past six months, we have seen remarkable improvements in Rafa’s balance and overall movement. His progress has been substantial, and we are confident that he will continue to grow and develop in Active Special Needs.

Despite living in Bukit Jalil, we willingly make the journey to Shah Alam every Saturday because each class is truly worth it. To Teacher Pek Har and the assistant teachers, thank you for your dedication and love for these differently-abled children. Your efforts mean the world to us, and we deeply appreciate everything you do. Please continue your wonderful work; you are a blessing to our family. We hope that more children get the opportunity to benefit from Teacher Pek Har’s guidance. Thank you so much again.

Yong Zye Join Gymclass 是在7/2023 年，孩子是说话没有完整句子，手和脚不协调，专注力差和眼神交流少，我是通过孩子的幼儿园院长介绍，就来试下Trial class, 经过几个月的课后，Yong Zye真的进步很多，以前带他去公园他真的很抗拒玩怕高的滑梯，甚至不懂怎么和人交流，他很喜欢交朋友，就是说的话都是Baby的语言，有时和他同龄的小朋友都不懂他在说什么，自从上了Gymclass 3-4个月后，有明显看到他有改变，他写字有明显的力度，说话有眼神交流，句子有说的比较长些，也有简单的沟通能力，我衷心感谢pek Har 老师对Yong zye 的成长发展给予的坚定支持和激励 感谢

我儿子参与这感统运动已超过一年。在这之前，我有让他去参与过其他的感统运动。这个中心让我最满意的不只是所提供的设施，还有的是教练的专业- 每个星期都会有不同的活动设置。孩子们不但能锻炼身体，最重要的是这些活动能帮助有需要的孩子们锻炼他们的本体觉、前庭觉平衡、手眼协调等等 。通过这个感统运动，我的儿子在多方面发展也已经大有改善及更敏捷了.

My son joined Active Special Needs gym for 4 months. During this time, we saw nice progress in various areas such as stronger upper body strength, better body coordination, improved imitation and instruction taking.
During the first month, my son couldn't catch a ball, rock climb, climb up a soft spiderweb ladder. He's able to do these today after joining the weekly gym session.
More importantly, my son really looks forward to attending the class and truly enjoy the session. I'm happy to see that he is learning through play and would like to thank Pek Har for her guidance and expertise in patiently guiding the children every lesson.

Our son has been at Active Special Needs for about 5 years. He is doing very well with the gymnastic activities. The gym class helped my son improve his motor skill, his attention, behaviour and communication skills.
He loves all the activities. Now my son is getting bigger and taller. And the equipment also not suitable for him, but I’m so glad that they provide new equipment which is more suitable for the teenager. Thank you Active Special Needs for helping my son to improved and achieved more skills.

我们是偶然情况下看到有家长分享Active Special Needs中心，就想来trial class。芸熙加入到现在已经半年了，我们没有每周来上课，住Gombak来到Shah Alam比较远。半年来收获了勇敢的孩子，不怕生，什么运动器材都敢挑战。时间配合到，费用相对来说是非常合理。中心的老师很有耐心，感谢老师的帮助。目前大致很满意。

A Heartfelt Commendation for Our Beloved Gym!
As parents of a wonderful 6-year-old, we are grateful for the exceptional care and support provided in Headstart Academy’s gym class. For nearly two years, our son has thrived under the guidance of the incredible team here.
From the moment we step through the doors, we're met with warmth and kindness from the reception staff, whose friendliness sets the perfect tone for each visit. There is also a comfortable area for parents to wait for the duration of the gym session.
However, it's the remarkable therapist, Ms Pek Har, who truly deserves our highest praise. Pek Har's dedication and expertise have been instrumental in our son's progress. She has the ability to connect with him, guiding him through his training program with patience, understanding, and skill.
Thanks to Pek Har's guidance, our son has made remarkable improvement. Not only has he improved his flexibility and strength, but he's also developed invaluable social skills, such as taking turns and following instructions in group classes. Pek Har's creativity shines through in the weekly changes to the activities and obstacle courses, ensuring our son is constantly engaged and excited to tackle new challenges.
Headstart Academy’s gym isn't just a gym; it's a haven for families like ours. Thank you, Headstart Academy for your unwavering dedication to helping our son thrive. Your commitment to excellence for inclusive gym program, has a positive impact on our family.
With heartfelt appreciation,

My 4 year old daughter has improved a lot on her motor skills since her gym class for 3 months. She has been more active compared to lazing around needing to lie down each time she is unoccupied.
She has improved from not being able to jump forward, and now, she jumps all the time like a bunny and rolls like a hedgehog.
She used to be afraid on climbing down but now she has more confidence in it. The weekly active work out really does help.
The gym class also improves her concentration and her focus which helps her in school to follow instructions and take turns .
It’s more a fun time session and building motor skills at the same time. Class is not intense and she has her time to play around awaiting her turn.
I would strongly recommend the class to kids require a boost for an active lifestyle as it is a key for a good child development

My son has been joining gym class with Pek Har more than a year.

He enjoys the activity and they make it fun and custom the exercises to each kid while challenging just enough to try and reach their potentials.

While he may have his days but they are able to work with him to ensure that he’s also happy with the classes.

I appreciate the time and effort to custom the exercises and making it different every week and there’s enough staff to handle the class.

My son looks forward to the classes every week.

Akshayaa was 5 years old when she first joined the gym at Active Special Needs in July 2022.

She has blossomed really well in the 1.5 years being coached by teacher Pek Har. With teacher Pek Har’s patience, Akshayaa is able to take instructions well and is able to wait for her turn.

She can crawl, skip, jump, tumble, cartwheel, and balance herself well. She has also increased her upper body strength with the wall climbing exercises. She also has improved on her hand - leg coordination which helped in her fine and gross motor skills.

Overall, she is a happy little girl when she’s at the gym. Her favourite time would be to jump on the giant trampoline with her friends.

My son has been attending gymnastics with Pek Har in Headstart Academy Shah Alam for a year now. We can see that he has improved tremendously in his fine motor skills and following instructions to get activities done. He is able to regulate himself better, such as learning to wait for his turn. He has also overcome his fears of trying new activities and is willing to try even though sometimes he does not get it right the first time. Pek Har and the team are patient and my son enjoys his gymnastic session every week. I am pleased with his progress so far.

My son has been joining the gym class for almost 6 months. The teacher is really experienced and dedicated in teaching our gifted child. My son is very much looking forward to the gym class (including usual working days) and always ready to go to the class in the happy mood. Good place for gifted children as well as mom and dad to take a break.

My daughter has been joining Active Special Needs for 1 year. Ayra is very shy person and scared with people that she not familiar with. With gym class I noticed she started to mingle around with unfamiliar people and gain more confidence. I also noticed she started to listen to instruction as well as happy whenever she goes to gym class
Thank you to Teacher Pek Har for her patient and effort to teach Ayra as sometimes Ayra is down with tantrums and bad mood. I appreciated it so much. I noticed she change a lots since joining gym class. I do hope Ayra will keep blooming and be the happiest person. Thank you so much teacher Pek Har and all Headstart team.

Teacher Pek Har is an exceptional and dedicated teacher who has shown immense patience and love in teaching my special needs child. My son has been enrolled in his gym class for the past six years, under her guidance, my child has not only grown physically stronger but has also developed a sense of self-belief. Thank you for being exceptional gym teacher.

Adelia starts joining Active Special Needs in September 2023, I can see her body muscle strength more strong and also her gross motor skills shown improvement.

After 3 months joining the gym class, my son had lots of improvement. He loves the gym class very much & teachers are very patient & friendly. Thumbs up

My son has been attending to sessions in Active Special Needs for a year now. It's been an incredible experience seeing him grow in confidence and strength through the fun activities and supportive environment provided by the dedicated staff. Highly recommend it for any parent looking to encourage their child's physical development in a safe and enjoyable setting.

My child has joined Active Special Needs for almost 1 year. His gross motor skills, body strength and coordination have improved. He also gets to mingle with other kids and learn to follow instructions. We are grateful that we have found this place. Ms Pek Har is a very experienced instructor and she is very good in handling special needs. Her team is very dedicated and patience towards special needs children. I strongly recommend this class.

My two sons have been joining Active Special Needs with miss Pek Har for more than 2 years in Headstart. I can see the kids improve a lot in gross motor skills, coordination and balancing. The kids can also overcome the fear of some the obstacles they have not do before. I would strongly recommend as this is a place that is safe n full with equipment for kids to have physical activities . Thank you for the patience n hard work of the team.

Title: Witnessing Growth, Feeling Progress — My Child's Journey in Gymnastics Class

Since starting classes last October 2023, my son's growth in gymnastics class has been remarkable. In just one month, he has made significant progress. From initially being afraid to climb stairs alone, to now, after over half a year, confidently tackling staircases solo. This not only surprises me but also earns my respect for the gymnastics class coaches.

Here, we not only witness our child's progress but also feel the love and care the coaches give him. The coaches collaborate closely with parents, and the open-class format allows us to stay updated on our child's learning progress in real-time. This transparent and friendly teaching environment makes us as parents feel very reassured, comfortable entrusting our child to these responsible coaches.

Therefore, I have decided to continue letting my child learn here. I believe, under the guidance of the gymnastics class, my child will continue to grow and show even more remarkable progress. Thank you.

Afiq has taken gymnastics classes for 5 years. I think that gymnastics has helped Afiq in all aspects of his life especially by stimulating the brain and strengthening motor skills. He seems to really enjoy the movement of it. His attention span has really expanded from a few minutes in the beginning to the whole class time now. We will continue with the classes as long as it helps him. He also likes to see all his friends at practice. While he needs a place to learn to run, jump, tumble, swing, balance and climb, but most of all, he needs a place where he feels welcome, and an instructor who believe in him and encourages him to be the best that he can be.

My son has been joining the gym class Since Oct 2023 (almost 8 months).

My son enjoys the class. It has helped with his gross motor skills (he couldn’t jump before gym class and now he can jump according to instructions), focus, attention span.

Highly recommend this class to parents as the environment is good and trainers are very approachable and friendly. The kids warm up easily to the trainers.

Farrel has been joining the gym class since March 2024. After entering the gym class, I can see he's more flexible and not afraid to try new physical activities. He is more confident and the gym class helps him to build his strength as well. I can also see that the gym class helps to stimulate his cognitive development. My future hope is that this class would help him improve his motor skill, able to improve his concentration and control his emotions as well.

Farrez has been joining the same class in March 2024. The improvement after joining the class is that he’s more outgoing and although at times he can be shy, but there are times he’s open to try new things. This class helps him to build his strength and one of the ways for him to release his playful energy after 5 full days of school and books. My future hope for him is hopefully he’s able to improve his motor skill and coordination, helps with his relaxation and improve concentration

Inaara has been joining Active Special Needs since March 2024. The gym sessions improve her physical stamina and motor skills. So far Inaara enjoys the gym session and always looks forward to attend the class. The coaches give 100% attention to the session although sometime Inaara not very focus on her task.

Zara has been attending classes with Ms. Pek Har since January 2024. Ms. Pek Har and her team are very professional and well-trained. Since joining the ECA classes with Ms. Pek Har, we have noticed many changes in Zara. She is now more confident in physical activities. Previously, she was quite afraid of heights and had poor body balance.

I highly recommend the ECA class, not only for special needs children but also for all children. It is not only improving physical skills but also social skills.

My child has been joining gym since end of Jan 2024. It has helped my child gain confidence, learn new motor skills, improved his balance and coordination. Coach Pek Har is a dedicated and kind teacher. She wants the child to improve and develop new skills. We love Gym!

My son has been with Pek Har for 3 years. We have seen him steadily grow stronger physically and emotionally. He is cooperative and is willing to try new activities that Pek Har introduces. Pek Har is great at breaking down tasks for him to tackle his anxiety and fear of new activities. We are happy with how much the gym has helped him grow. He enjoys and looks forward to his classes every week

My daughter has been joining the gym class for 1 and a half year. My daughter’s gross motor and balancing skills has improved a lot since she joined the gym class. She’s also showing more confidence in herself and willing to try new things. My daughter enjoys going to her gym class. The coaches are very kind and patience yet also firm in urging the kids to do their best.

Muaz has been joining Active Special Needs gym class for 9 months. The gym program is helping my child's development especially motor skills and indirectly social skills. I just hope all the teachers keep going, don't give up, we need more people like you to help our children.

Betty has been joining Active Special Needs gym class for 1 year. She has poor sitting posture due to too much handphone. She's also timid and reluctant to try anything that she considers beyond her ability. With gym, she is much bolder and beginning to enjoy physical activities especially somersault

Our daughter has been joining Active Special Needs gym class for 3 months thereabout. This is the only class that she enjoys, she doesn’t like her OT, ST, swimming and piano class.
Her social skill improves, and so does her sports activities and she sleeps better at night.

My son, Lucas has been joining the Active Special Needs gym class since 2022. Previously Lucas could hardly walk and frequently fell down due to GDD, but now he is able to walk much more steadily with limited support needed. I am very grateful to Pek Har and her team for helping Lucas.
Thank you!

Our son has been attending Active Special Needs gym class for about 5 to 6months now and there’s been positive feedback from his Physical Therapists/Occupational therapists that he’s easier to engage. Only feedback is that he tends to over rely on adults when doing monkey bars - we would like to see him attempt it more independently.

My son joined Pek Har at Headstart almost 2 years ago. He has improved so much in his physical activity. From his jumping to using the monkey bars and balancing. She also changes the activities to keep it interesting and address different skills.
Pek Har not only helped with his physical activity but also in listening to instructions and waiting and turn taking.
She is firm at the same time patient and understanding.
He looks forward to his weekly class everyday!

Since joining this gym class , my child has undergone an amazing transformation. He not only improved their physical fitness but also gained confidence and discipline.
The teachers are supportive and motivating, teaching valuable lessons beyond just exercise. I've seen positive changes in my child's overall well-being and highly recommend this class to any parent

My daughter has joined Pek Har's class for almost 1 1/2 years. We saw tremendous improvements in her physically and she has developed more confident in doing any physical activities which she was afraid of doing before.
Thank you Ms. Pek Har!

My 4+ year old son has joined the gym at Heardstart Academy with Ms Pek Har in Jan 2024.
He really loves going for the gym class every weekend and looking forward to it every day.
He is physically more active and able to take up new challenges in the class. The activities help his overall physical health and fine motor skills.
The gym itself is very spacious and has various equipment and tools.

My son was not able to jump but after coming for the class that is something that he has excelled.. he can jump very high now.
He also obtained great strength in his hands... basically the class has helped him alot in gross motor skills. He was also happy during the session.
Thanks to Teacher Pek Har.

我的儿子学了大概接近3年， 他比普通同龄小朋友的身体动作有进步了，不会同手同脚了