No stopping YAH!

With just a few days to go for Christ- mas, carol services are the order of the day. This, however, was one with a difference, for the enthusiastic participants singing carols with gusto were mainly elderly folk, some even dressed as angels. "God would have been surprised,' smiles Ms. Sujatha Samarajiwa. The carols were one of the many activities organised by 'YAH', as this group of elders call themselves. "Anyone who's walking towards a hundred is welcome," invites Ms. Samarajiwa, one of the founder members and there have been many eager to join. In two years, YAH short for "Young At Heart" has grown from eight to 50 members.

The group meets every Monday to share some fellowship and activity.

The group was launched on the initiative of the Board of Social Responsibility of the Methodist Church, Mount Lavinia, which felt that the needs of the elders of the area were not being adequately addressed. But despite its religious backing, YAH itself has no limitations when it comes to its membership. Anyone can join and there's no membership fee.

A typical YAH meeting would begin with a short prayer to whatever the member's faith and meditation, followed by discussions, games, tea, skits, singsongs and finally lunch. Members are picked up from their homes in a bus, so that transport problems do not arise. Once a month, guest speakers are invited to address the members on a current topic. YAH members also regularly visit elders' homes to share some fellowship with them and even the sick when the need arises. So where does the funding come from? Ms. Samarajiwa recounts how though they had little to go on, there have been donations from appreciative sources and they have managed to keep YAH going without taxing its members.

Inspired by YAH's success, another group has been started on similar lines in Moratuwa, interestingly named CUE. Any guesses what the name stands for? It's Cheering Up Elders. - R.S

School for 'learning disabled'

By Chamintha Thilakarathna

"How many times do I have to teach you this?! Why can't you get it right like the others!"

"Kanchana, putha, why can't you be more attentive in class? The teacher complains every day. We are not going to buy you any more toys till you show some progress!"

"Modaya! modaya! we don't play with modayo."

For seven-year-old Kanchana these are the constant accusations and taunts he encounters every day. He knows that he is not the best student in class but the mischievous little boy can't understand why he finds it difficult to concentrate. So he suffers alone, sometimes crying in frustration. He wants so badly to be accepted by other kids and liked by everyone.

A Year Two student attending a government school, Kanchana has no physical or mental handicap that would categorize him as a retarded or a handicapped child. But, his grades are low and he is the object of ridicule of both his playmates and class teachers who seem tired of trying to get him to focus on his studies.

At home, instead of letting him watch TV or play, his mother constantly gets him to go through his school work over and over again hoping that he would catch up.

Kanchana hates everyone who bullies him and scolds him for being unable to understand what is being taught. For him mathematics and language are the most confusing.

Learning disability is Kanchana's problem and contrary to what we may think, it is a common phenomenon. It is said that there are at least two slow learners like Kanchana in every class of forty students. In the U.S, one in every five students suffers from a 'learning disability' (LD). Actor Tom Cruise and even Albert Einstein are said to have suffered from learning disabilities as children. The good news is that now there is help available for students in Sri Lanka.

Two young therapists, Ms. Camelita Perera and Ms. Nedra Perumal are the special needs coordinators of the first school for enhanced learning to be opened in Sri Lanka_ SELP (School for Enhancement of Learning Potential). They have both studied learning disability, child psychology, behavioral therapy and instrumental enrichment in India and Colombo and aim to give special attention to the individual needs of children to help them achieve their full potential.

Learning disability, they explain, refers to one's disability to store, process, or produce information. These children are not retarded. Primarily learning disability creates a gap between a person's true capacity and his performance.

"Children with learning difficulties are bright and intelligent but due to factors like dyslexia ( word blindness), hyperactivity or poor attention span, they are unable to attain the full potential of their capabilities. There is a significant difference between a child's achievements and his/ her overall intelligence due to LD," said Ms Perera.

The biggest challenge in providing help here is social misconceptions and fears. "Most parents would not want to admit that their child has a learning disability. This is because they equate it with being mentally retarded, which is not correct. As a result, most of these children go for years without help. These are children who are very normal but who find it difficult to perform at their best," said Ms. Perumal.

She says it is important to identify such kids at an early stage of six years ( the assessment age). The earliest signs are difficulty in coordination. For example, if a child continues to fail to button his shirt or tie his shoe laces correctly, it could be a symptom of LD. But the most common characteristics are Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) where kids will be easily distracted, fidget with hands often, be restless, shift from one incomplete task to another, have difficulty awaiting turns, appear not to be listening when one is talking to them, etc.

The types of difficulties in learning affect five general areas: spoken language (delays and disorders), written language ( reading, writing and spelling), arithmetic reasoning, sequencing or organizing, and remembering and following information.

SELP aims at meeting the special needs of each child by assessing their strengths and weaknesses and preparing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) to suit individual needs. Coordinators will use techniques such as Alpha to Omega teaching methods, sentence writing strategy, instrumental enrichment strategy and mediated learning process and multi-sensory teaching methods along with the latest scientific methods.

"The teaching will be done in a purely informal atmosphere that will take away the stress that creates undesirable behaviour patterns. Teachers will maintain a gentle but firm attitude with all students at all times," said Ms. Perumal

The school focuses on English/ Sinhala language and mathematics since this knowledge is vital for all other learning. Art therapy, handwork and movement therapy will also be practised while teaching social skills and living skills will help provide a complete education.

Both stressed that in a school for enhanced learning, parental support is a must. SELP also arranges the services of trained counsellors to ease the emotional strain that parents undergo. The mother of a learning disabled child herself, Ms. Perera says that she is well aware of what parents and children face and also knows the importance of parental support in their programme.

"What we want at SELP is to turn out children who are self confident and able to cope with the stress and strains of life,"said Ms. Perera.

Initially, SELP will enroll only students between the ages of 6-14. However, they intend to expand the programme to adults who have grown up with learning disabilities in the future. The school will open in January at Nawala and parents could seek advice from, Ms.Perera and Ms.Perumal to find out if their child suffers from a learning disability.

The two founders' dream is to help kids who are dismissed as unintelligent, achieve their goals. "They could become doctors, engineers or even good lawyers with a little help from us to help them focus. But, it all lies in the hands of their parents' willingness to accept the situation and their commitment to make a change for their child," they said.

Esto Perpetua sports fiesta in January

By D. Shehan Silva

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2001.

In connection with this event, the United Nations Club, the Interact Club and the Society for the Preservation of Thomian Traditions has decided to organise a sports festival for the large "Thomian family" to commemorate 150 years of the school. The main objective of holding this event is to bring the members of the family, which comprises the old boys, parents, members of the staff and students to an informal atmosphere of fun.

The "Esto Perpetua Sports Fiesta" will be held on Saturday January 13, 2001 at the College premises. The committee invites all the members of the Thomian Family to join in the fun and entertainment. The contestants can participate by organising a team, which should comprise any member of the Thomian family. Sports include Cricket (sixes), Rugby (sevens), Basketball (five a side), Water Polo (five a side), Badminton (doubles) and Table Tennis (doubles).

It will be a fun filled celebration as there will be live music, refreshments, awards, prizes and many more surprises. A special invitation goes out to those who are engaged in fields of refreshments and entertainment. They can participate by running a stall, catering to the needs of the day. The organisation would also be grateful for any financial assistance.

Application forms will be available at the College office or can be obtained through 'E-mail' by contacting Asela Dassanayake (716950), Irshard Hameed (716293) or Bimantha Perera (599391).

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