About Us
Our mission is to foster a love of learning in your little ones, through creative lesson plans and prompts.
Getting to Know the Founder
Nurulhuda binti Mohd Zaki is the Founder and Managing Director of Shine And Hope Therapy. She holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Reading, UK, and a Professional Certification and Diploma in Disabilities Studies from the College of Allied Educators (CAE Malaysia and Singapore).
She is a registered member of Pusat Psikologi Malaysia (PSIMA) (ID: 61700384) and a Licensed SPELL User – Structure, Positive, Empathy, Low Arousal and Links: Understanding and Responding to Autism – accredited by the National Autistic Society UK and the University of Kent. She is also a Certified Jolly Phonics Teacher, has a certification in Greenspan Floortime Approach® and holds the HRD Corp Train-The-Trainer (TTT) Certification and Accreditation (ID: 71326), enabling her to design and deliver professional training programs.
With close to a decade of experience in education, spanning pre-schools, secondary government schools, and special needs centres, Nurulhuda’s passion for supporting neurodivergent children inspired her to establish Shine And Hope Therapy, where she aims to provide meaningful, compassionate, and inclusive support for neurodivergent community.
It all begins with a purpose.
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My answer to my purpose of starting this may sound cliche but I would like to help as many families as possible. In my previous working experience, I was lucky to get the opportunity to work alongside Pusat Dalam Komuniti (PDK) and National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM). I have witnessed and concluded that children/adults in lower class families should have received good quality of treatment therapy. As much as I want to help these children/adults, I can’t help but feeling weak and decided to have my own learning centre one day.
There were also some encounters with parents where they felt the heavy guilt for not earning enough and mentioned “it's an illness for rich people”. It has striked me to the core. Obviously, the target market that can afford to receive my therapy treatment is middle to high class income family but my focus is to earn so that I can help the lower class family, B40. Throughout my career, I try to contribute extra regardless the classes of family income with different types of contribution just because every child deserve to receive the right education.
“I know deep in my heart that there are educators out there who are aligned and want to reach the same goal as mine. I would like to create a space of educators who have the same drive, compassion, love and ambition so that it transfers to the children who eventually will be our leaders of tomorrow and continue this legacy. “
I would like to reach out to as many families as possible including the B40 families.
There is an ongoing project which called “No One Is Left Behind” to support families with therapy tools as a start. As we grow, a therapy programme will be implemented to support these families in the future.
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I began my journey in the field of autism therapy through the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach, which gave me a strong foundation for understanding behavior and teaching essential skills. ABA has many valuable principles that I still hold close, such as the importance of Cooperation, Imitation, and Attention as foundational skills, as well as the Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) framework, which remains a powerful tool to identify and address the triggers of behavior.
However, as I worked with more children and witnessed their individual needs, I realized that some aspects of traditional ABA approaches didn't align with my values as a neuro-affirming practitioner. For example, I noticed that heavy reliance on tangible reinforcement could sometimes shift a child’s focus toward external validation rather than fostering their internal sense of achievement. Additionally, during moments of emotional overwhelm or meltdowns, I found that co-regulation—helping the child feel emotionally safe and connected—was often more effective and respectful than complete extinction methods.
Through this experience, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of integrating principles from various approaches, including Occupational Therapy (OT), Play Therapy, DIR/Floortime, Relationship Development Intervention (RDI), and Speech Therapy (ST). This combination allows me to provide a more holistic, child-centered approach that honors each child’s unique journey.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that therapy is not a one-size-fits-all process. It takes collaboration—between different types of therapists, educators, and, most importantly, families—to create an environment where a child can truly thrive.
As the saying goes, 'It takes a village to raise a child.' I am deeply committed to being part of that village and ensuring that every child I work with is met with compassion, respect, and the support they need to grow.
Learning Foundation Framework
Cooperation
Attention
Imitation
Learning Branches
Memory
Physical Motor Skills
Social Skills
Sequencing
Our Practices
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Strength-based Practices
We utilise your child’s strengths by incorporating their strengths into their learning.
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Child-led Practices
We believe it is important to have a positive association with therapy to help enhance the child’s progress. With child-led practices, we respect the child’s decision and open up their minds which allow us to understand them better and solidify the trust between the child and therapist. This would in turn maximize their progress and learning journey.
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Zero tolerance
We do not condone any form of verbal and physical abuse in our practices. Your child’s mental and physical safety are our top priority at all times.
FAQs
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Our team conducts a thorough assessment of your child's needs and creates a customized plan to ensure they receive the right combination of therapies for their unique development goals.
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Simply contact us to schedule a free consultation. Our team will assess your child’s needs and recommend the best program to start their journey with us.
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Our therapists are highly qualified with professional certifications in areas like disabilities studies and learning difficulties management. They have extensive experience working with children with special needs, ensuring that your child receives expert care and personalized attention.
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We offer both one-on-one therapy sessions and small group activities depending on your child’s needs and goals.
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We are offering home-based therapy sessions for now. We are working towards offering centre-based therapy sessions in the future as we are aware not all clients could provide a space for therapy at home.
