Finding their voices
Meet two students of Pathlight School, a school for highfunctioning children with autism, who show how they are not defined by this condition, but by their resilience and extraordinary abilities.
SHE could barely chew or swallow when she was younger, but now, she is a soprano and part of a choir that performs internationally.
For 15-year-old Marianne Leong of Pathlight School, singing has always been her passion. However, she has dyspraxia, a developmental disorder that affects muscle control, impeding movement, coordination, language and speech.
Previously, she could only mumble when speaking.
Her mother, Dr Lim Hong Huay, 46, a paediatrician, sent Marianne for some general singing lessons at age nine to develop her self-confidence and improve her speech.
But because of her condition, Marianne needed specific training. It took Dr Lim two years to find a teacher who was willing and able to help Marianne - Khor Ai Ming, who runs a singing school and leads a choir called Vocal Associates.
Said Dr Lim: “I was not confident at all during the audition with Ms Khor as Marianne couldn’t even carry a proper tune then.
“But she listened, and at the end, she told me Marianne had a good voice. She said not to worry about technique, which can be taught.”
Marianne, then 11, initially had trouble grasping the breathing, muscle control and voice projection techniques. But with hard work and weekly lessons, these skills are now second nature to her.
Now, four years later, Marianne sings with the Vocal Associates Children and Youth Choir, performing not only at local venues such as the Esplanade, but internationally as well, including at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2016.
Said Khor: “Marianne has grown from a shy girl to a confident sing- er. She used to sing very softly, but now she has a projected and loud voice. The frequent appearances at various concerts has made her a strong singer and a confident person.”
Beyond developing her singing prowess, Marianne has found family in the troupe.
Said her mother Dr Lim: “Singing together, learning to work together to read cues, to blend and harmonise, have taught her teamwork and socialisation more than school ever can.”
Marianne, who has a sister, 10, and a brother, eight, said that now, against class bullies, she could just “project my voice at them” using her vocal techniques.
Moreover, she has found an outlet for her emotions. “I write songs about stories and characters I make up, about my feelings, like when I’m angry,” said Marianne, who started learning the piano two years ago.
Said Dr Lim: “She’s been blessed with so many teachers who love her and who have journeyed with us.”
She added: “People with autism may be odd, say weird things, but people just have to take the time to listen, to understand them.
“They will gain a perspective that is enlightening, that will change the way they see the world.”
Marianne’s dream is to be a singer, like her idol, renowned New Zealand opera star Kiri Te Kanawa.
Teen picks up Tamil, Urdu
At Primary 5, most pupils struggle with their own mother tongue, but 12-year-old Waleed Baqeer, who has autism, had taught himself Tamil.
Despite being exempted from studying a mother tongue subject, the Malay pupil picked up the language because of his deep passion for Indian culture.
His father, Idham Baqeer, said: “It all began with elephants. He has been fascinated by elephants all his life.”
The 47-year-old assistant manager for flight operations with Singapore Airlines said Waleed has been intrigued by the animal since a visit to a zoo in Melaka when he was just one-and-half years old.
His favourite kind of elephant is the brilliantly adorned Indian war elephant. He admires the maharajahs of the ancient Indian Moghul empire that commanded them and decided he wanted to be their mahout, or elephant keeper.
At age 11, he found out he had Indian ancestry from his paternal grandmother, and that made him even more determined to learn Tamil. Within the span of a year, he had grasped the pictorial Devanagari alphabet and key words and phrases, with the aid of the Internet.
He began to look for avenues to practise speaking the language since no one in his immediate family spoke it, not even his grandmother of Indian descent.
“He was conversing with everyone he met, from shopkeepers to waiters,” said Idham, who does not speak a word of Tamil himself.
He said Waleed even made friends with the stall owners of a roti prata stall in his neighbourhood by initiating conversations in Tamil.
In fact, it was this effort Waleed made to practise his Tamil that alerted his teachers to his ability.
During a recess time integration programme between Pathlight and the now-closed Chong Boon Secondary, Waleed spoke to an Indian canteen stallholder there. She was so impressed with his “refined Tamil” that she had “heard only in India”, that she told his Pathlight teachers about it.
Waleed said: “What I like most about learning the language is making new friends.”
At 13, he picked up another language widely spoken in India, Urdu, again with the help of the Internet.
Waleed, an only child, was diagnosed with Autistic Disorder at age two-and-a-half after his parents sent him for a series of tests when they noticed his development was delayed.
Besides behavioural issues, he had severe hearing and speech difficulties. His paeditrician said he might not ever be able to speak properly.
At age three, Waleed underwent surgery to insert a tube into his inner ear to aid his hearing.
That same year, in 2003, his parents separated. He lives mainly with his mother, but meets his father regularly during weekdays and stays with his father most weekends and holidays.
Now a gentle 17-year-old, Waleed did not stop smiling when he was being interviewed, even while recounting his difficult experiences.
With Tamil and Urdu under his belt, he hopes to direct his energies towards picking up other languages from Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Idham said: “Now, he has better social skills. He even has a lot of friends on Facebook from talking to people he meets.
“I’m very proud of him. I wish people would be more accepting and open towards those with autism. He is like any other person in the world and he has a lot to contribute.” — Straits Times/Asia News Network