How it began..

It began in 1997...

I was in my 8th day of doing my internship, in the UK, when a child was brought it kicking and screaming, biting and scratching anyone who went near her. I had never seen such behaviour in my life. What frightened me more was the blank stare with which she explored her environment once she stopped crying. She did not want any physical contact. She had no words. If she was unhappy she expressed it through her ritualistic tantrum of screaming and kicking, biting and scratching. She was no more than 5 years old at the time. She was an adorable looking little girl, nothing in her features revealed that she was different from the other children in the classroom.

As the days went by, the other children learnt to stay away from her and let her have anything she wanted. I was assigned to her. The fear I felt on that first day she came in soon turned into an intrigue, a curiosity to find out who she was and why she was so different. In my 22nd day of internship, after much research and many hours pouring through the pages of books on childhood difficulties, I had a hunch. The school I worked at was non-discriminatory. Most of this child's characteristics pointed towards a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, perhaps Autism.

Armed with my research articles, I arranged for an after school meeting with the Principal. First, I was told that we must NEVER lable a child. Each child is special and the dignity of children should be respected. Each child possessed an inner guide that would invariably guide the child towards discovery. Our jobs were to follow that inner guide and provide suitable direction. She very kindly informed me that this school would take any child (even if they could not provide for them) and that that was the essence of being non-discriminatory.

I fell ill soon after that and that was it. I left and came back home to get better. I needed glorious Malaysian food and some TLC, both of which I got at home. When I went back a year later, the little girl was no longer there. No one knew where she went or when she left.

I completed the stipulated time period on internship and came back home to Malaysia. I never stopped thinking about that little girl who never showed any signs of recognition of the people in her environment. I wondered what kind of provision we had here. Information was not available online. Facts and figures, percentages of learning disabled students was not available anywhere. Dead ends at every juncture.

I knew what I wanted to do. I started studying and gaining knowledge. I started teaching in the back room in my home in 1999. The first two clients were both diagnosed as being Autistic. Sri Rafelsia Sdn. Bhd. - Learning Support Services officially opened in January 2000 in Kuala Lumpur. I have since authored a book "Learning Difficulties: Guidebook 1" to promote awareness of this field which in Asia is so stigmatised by society and bears heartache and hopelessness to the parents whose children fucntion differently from the rest.

I chose to specialise in early intervention and specific learning difficulties intervention. I deal with children who face mild to moderate learning difficulties such as speech delays, AD/HD, dyslexia, developmental delays, William's Syndrome, and a host of other difficulties which fall in this spectrum.

I have no regrets. If I had to do it again, I would. Alot of times, it is an up-hill battle with parents, teachers, the media, opportunists who see it as a lucrative busineness and even certain government policies. Talk is cheap and I rather walk the walk.

There are many others like me who have devoted our lives for the greater benefit of the children we work with and this is what this Blog aims to celebrate. I would love to hear from you and learn about your journey through special education.

So post it!