This is an article written by a very passionate SPED teacher, who eventually became a close friend and confidant of mine.
Whenever someone asks me, what a special child is like, they will usually relate to them as autistic and someone who is sub-normal.
However to me, they are truly special in their own way.
So what are they really like?
How special are they?
What hidden talents have which others may not be aware?
I will share with you about a ten year old boy with autism who can memorize and relate to you all the train stations in Singapore plus code and tell you which line it is! I can't tell you how often I forget sometimes in Singapore plus code and tell you which station comes first and I need to refer to the standing chart on the platform. Sounds familiar?
Whenever I am lost or not sure to go to a destination, my first thoughts were to ask him whether this bus number heads there. He is so knowledgeable, like a walking bus directory. You can simply ask him about a bus number and he will tell you it's destination with no mistakes!
Whenever I am lost or not sure to go to a destination, my first thoughts were to ask him whether this bus number heads there. He is so knowledge like a walking bus directory. You can simply ask him about a bus number and he will tell you its destination with no mistakes!
How about another nine year old girl, with Down Syndrome, who can draw a picture of Walt Disney princesses a thousand times a year? She can draw it again and again because of her obsessions with Walt, Disney, she must be undisputed the best Picasso in the world! She even won an Art competition before!
Another seventeen year old boy with autism, who has very good auditory and listening skill, is so talented on the piano. He does not know the theory behind the notes of the piano, but could play a tune after hearing it only once! He will definitely win the "Singapore's Got Talent" show if they do have such a variety show in Singapore. I will be first to register him in the competition!
Another sixteen year old boy, who is non-verbal with severe intellectual difficulties, can catch a ball thrown to him as quick as lightning. He could juggle the ball without dropping it on the floor. He could also jump on the big gym ball for over an hour with both legs lifted off the floor with no aid! If he is a baseball player, his team will definitely be Number 1 in baseball! He could also do something else special, he has a photographic memory with numbers. I have told him my hand phone number once and he could write it out within few seconds! AMAZING!
Another hidden talent is this sixteen year old boy, with Asperger's syndrome, who knows all about Geography. I am never a fan of maps, but I think I am a great fan of him. On one occasion, I was teaching Geography and I gave a quiz on countries and their capitals. He was really fantastic, because he knows countries. He could even point out on the map, the location of these countries and cities and the continents they are in.
I could easily count more than a dozen students with hidden talents, which are too many to list in this article.
So next time if someone ask me what is a special child like, I will beam with pride and announce that a special child is one with hidden talents, special abilities, interesting character and amazing personality.
Hopefully, this could enlighten some of those who have not worked with any children with special needs or have ill-informed or mis-perceived knowledge about them. More importantly, I believe we could utilize some of these talents, and have more masses in the public will sincerely appreciate the true beauty of these hidden talents, and have more gracious acceptance of them, living among us in Singapore. One day, they will be harnessed in a productive way, and contribute to our future economy.
Writer's Profile:
Olivia is currently a Special Needs educator, teaching in a private school. Having taught for the past seven years, she hopes to share some witty and interesting articles about her interactions with and observations of the children she has worked with, in the past. Some of them have autism, Asperger's syndrome, Down syndrome, Dyslexia, Intellectual Difficulties, Global Developmental Delay etc. More importantly, she hopes to help the public gain more awareness of children with special needs.
Writer's Phrase:
A child with special needs is just like normal child who needs love, care, patience, and a lot of nurturing. Take away their label and make them special as they are to us, as to you.
With a great thank you to Olivia
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