Monday February 16, 2009

Special kids take to the water

By Y.P. SIVAM

Photos by UU BAN

CHILDREN World, a pre-school for special children at USJ4 in Subang, wants its students to be active in recreational and sporting activities.

Easy does it: Eunice (left) helping a student get into the pool during a session.

With this aim in mind, its founders started swimming lessons for the pupils.

Children World founder and principal Anne Subashini Sivanathan said about 15 students, with their respective parents’ consent, started attending the weekly swimming sessions at the 3K Sports Complex in Subang Jaya.

“Our vision is to provide a platform for the students gain self esteem as well as confidence. We were quite apprehensive in the beginning but now we are convinced that we have adopted the right approach to bring some cheer and excitement to the kids,’’ Anne said.

Every Wednesday, Anne and her assistants will lead the students for a two-hour session at the pool. The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) only charges RM1 per student for each session.

Let’s go: Siti Nur-Aisyah (left) enjoying herself in the pool with Anne.

All 15 students have adapted well to the swimming sessions and look forward to getting in the pool.

Two students — Amanda Ng and Siti Nur-Aisyah Shahimee — have shown tremendous progress. When Ng, who is 10 years old, was only two and a half, she was diagnosed with dyspraxia, a development co-ordinaton disorder with speech difficulties.

Fun time ahead: The special children getting ready for a swimming session.

Amanda’s parents — Ng Teck Guan and Eileen Ng — had introduced her to swimming when she was six months old. But, after Amanda’s physical condition was identified, the Ngs enrolled her at Children World, which is also attended by normal children.

Eileen quit her job to take care of Amanda and continued with the swimming sessions.

“Amanda was good in the water. She enjoyed the swimming sessions. Initially, we used arm floats but, after sometime, she did not like the apparatus.

Happy time: Bilayah Badrul (left) and P. Mahesh playing in the pool.

“Now, with guidance, she can go the full length of the pool. The swimming sessions are also a good form of physical exercise,’’ Eileen said.

Siti Nur-Aisyah is nine years old and has Down Syndrome but she enjoys her swimming sessions.

Siti Nur-Aisyah, a pupil at Children World since she was four, said she loved swimming and being in the pool with her friends.

“I want to swim like the others. Now I am using the arm floats. My teacher, Anne Subashini, is very good and she taught me swimming,’’ Siti Nur-Aisyah said.

Besides Anne, Eunice Jasudasan, who has a diploma in special needs education, also helps the children in their swimming lessons.

“I love the swimming sessions with them. I see a lot of excitement among them and they are happy when swimming,’’ she said.

Eileen added that some of the children had the potential to participate in the Special Olympics.

“But we have to get a professional coach to groom and guide them. We had asked around but the fees are quite high. Many of the parents cannot afford the high fee. We hope to get some assistance from the swimming associations.

“The children have the ability and we have to give them the opportunities to gain confidence to show that they are on par with the other children,’’ Eileen said.

Anne said she would also like to introduce other recreational programmes for the special children.

“They have to be given every opportunity to mingle with people,’’ she said.

For more information on Children World’s programmes, contact 03-8025 1019.