Not letting the odds get in their way

[Geordie]

SINGAPORE - After her eldest son was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at the age of five, Mrs Alice Wee, 41, had no doubt that he would thrive in a Special Education (SPED) school for his formal education. Six years later, her faith has paid off.

Sherman Ho, 12, scored 273 points in the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) - becoming the pupil to score the highest aggregate PSLE score in Pathlight School's eight-year history.

Mrs Wee said she opted to put Sherman in Pathlight because the lower teacher to pupil ratio in a mainstream school might not allow Sherman, who also has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), to get the attention and care he needs.

Referring to how some parents are reluctant to enrol their special needs children in SPED schools, Mrs Wee, an insurance specialist, said: "Maybe people are afraid (to do so because) they will be branded."

Sherman, whose favourite subject is Mathematics, does not have any tuition. On his PSLE results, he said he did not expect to get an A* for English.

Pathlight Vice-Principal Loy Sheau Mei, who has watched Sherman grow up over the years, said that the boy's "perfectionist" trait posed some challenges to his teachers.

For example, when Sherman gets distracted and misses a part of the lesson, he would insist that his teacher repeat what she told the class. As the teacher is unable to do that without disrupting the class, she would spend extra time with Sherman afterwards to go through the lesson.

Mrs Wee recalled that Sherman's kindergarten teachers were unable to handle him. "He would scream at the top of his voice, if his question is not answered. He asked continuous questions until the teacher could not take it ... if you do not answer his question, he will get very upset, he will run around," she said.

In spite of his condition, Sherman has excelled in his school work. Earlier this year, he took part in the Asia-Pacific Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools organised by Hwa Chong Institution. Sherman came in fourth among all the participants.

Going forward, Sherman will try again for a place in the National University of Singapore (NUS) High School of Mathematics and Science. His first application was rejected in June. He added that his ambition is to read Mathematics and Science in NUS.

Mrs Wee said she would be happy for Sherman to remain at Pathlight.

"I know if he stays in Pathlight, he will be a happy boy," she said.

TODAYonline | Singapore | Not letting the odds get in their way

 

[wyverary]

I would like to see more of this. I sometimes wonder how much better off I myself would have been if I'd had the opportunity to receive the same kind of assistance specific to ASD. Perhaps I would not have floundered so much in school and in life in general the past fifteen years. As it was, I never even learned of my diagnosis until a couple of years ago even though I'd been diagnosed at the age of 16, and the realization that nobody really tried to help me in that regard has been...I don't think "disappointment" is quite the right word. Resentful, more like. Everyone seems to have tried to help me grapple with depression and bi-polar tendencies, but looking back, I realize that ASD had a pretty big impact on my difficulties, and I'm almost shocked that nobody seemed to feel it necessary to specifically help me in that regard.

This kid is very lucky, and I hope the world gets to a point where we can acknowledge these things and help kids with ASD succeed in life.