Archive for April, 2008
COMMUNITY: Nurturing ’special’ Kids
Playing is a learned skill for children with autism. Rohani Saad, a teacher with Nasom for 16 years, teaches autistic children how to play.
Autism is not a death sentence. With the right support, and training, autistic children can eventually lead a normal life. CHAI MEI LING talks to some people who have been working behind the scenes to help these children
Y.L. Liew, principal and executive director of the National Autism Society of Malaysia, says work satisfaction has kept many of team committed to Nasom
MANY children grow up having affectionate nicknames.
But for Steven, though, it’s budak kurang ajar, courtesy of members of the public.
This is because he grabs whatever he fancies off supermarket shelves, runs from table to table in restaurants eating off people’s plates, and throws tantrums for no reason. And at times, he causes strangers to panic when he pounces on them to take a whiff of their body scent.
But the doe-eyed boy n e ve r means any mischief.
Steven is autistic. Social rules are concepts alien to the autistic.
The general public can’t tell that Steven has this disorder, which affects 35 million worldwide, because he looks just like any other normal child.
Steven’s parents are understandingly exasperated, having been on the receiving end of annoyed people who accuse them of having little control over their child.
At their wit’s end, their last resort - enrolling him into the National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) - proved to be their best option.
Today, the nine-year-old is a Year Three pupil who excels in mainstream school and tops his class in many subjects.
He can sit still, complete his homework, understand instructions and can even manage a conversation with people around him.
His parents find this “transformation “ῠunbelievable .
The well-behaved boy reading quietly in the corner of the Nasom headquarters bears little semblance to the screaming and kicking child who had to be carried into the centre some three years back.
Back then, teachers at the centre had to coax him into coming out from under the table, distract him with toys when he got angry, make him “forget” his tantrums, and reward him when he was willing to obey instructions.
Slowly and painstakingly, they earned his trust, and began to engage him in learning manners and self-help skills like how to eat appropriately, refrain from taking things not his own, and bathe and clean himself. They even had to teach him how to play.
This is part of the structured intervention programme offered at Nasom’s 14 centres throughout the country.
At each centre, the staff work in a team to wean a child off a socially unacceptable behaviour, like displaying nudity. Because of their lack of emotions, autistic children do not feel embarrassed.
Some, who are well into adulthood, may still take off all their clothes in front of their teachers before they go for a bath. Teachers have to drum into them the message that this is not proper.
Nasom executive director and principal Y.L. Liew says intervention should start as early as possible because a child who gets used to a certain behaviour takes a longer time to be retrained and changed.
One autistic trait they try to put a stop to is the children’s inherent need to smell people.
“Some of these boys are in their teens. If they go to a girl and sniff, what do you think will happen?” The principal, who has been with Nasom for 16 years, admits there are many difficulties the staff face on a daily basis when dealing with the children.
“I feel that the most stressful lot of children with disabilities is this g roup,” says Liew, who has had 30 years of experience with the deaf prior to joining Nasom.
Teachers have to cajole children who cry non-stop 24 hours a day in protest of changes they don’t like, teach the children how to read facial expressions, and sometimes put up with violent behaviour that some children on medication can display.But there’s always hope.
Every child can be trained as long as the training is done according to his needs, says Liew.
The first most important step for these children starts with acceptance from parents.
Liew urges parents who have an autistic child not to lose hope.
“I tell them - I think you are chosen because God feels you can look after this child. And we are here to help. We don’t do miracles, but we try our best.” Aside from intervention, Nasom also offers an inclusive programme which prepares children of schoolgoing ages for mainstream schooling.
The main objective is not so much for academic reasons, but to have these children socialise and interact with peers their age.
They are taught how to read time, use money, queue up when buying food, and ask for permission to go to the toilet.
Before school starts, during the holidays, they are brought to their respective schools to familiarise them with the environment.
They are introduced to teachers, they get to sit in the real classroom, and they learn where the canteen and toilets are.
On the first day of school, they do not attend classes, but watch how other students assemble. They are then slowly introduced into the system.
Nasom is grateful that the Ministry of Education has worked with the centre the last four years in giving these children a chance to be integrated into the society. They are also given a leeway of two years in school - a 14-year-old autistic child can still be a Year Six student.
Every day, a teacher-aide from Nasom accompanies two children in a class and keeps tab of their progress. When classes end, the teacher-aide brings the children back to Nasom centres, where they are given after-school support.
Liew attributes the success of those who are doing well in school to parental support.
One of them is Abraham Isaac Pereira, 9, from Sekolah Kebangsaan Setapak, who scored 100 marks for English and Science and took the class’ top placing.
It’s not all work and no play for children in Nasom, as they also learn art and horse riding from volunteers and visit the cinema, National Science Centre and National Zoo.
“But there’s no sound of music,” says Liew, adding that Nasom is looking for volunteer music teachers.
“We have a piano, guitar and organ, but no one to play them and sing with the children.” Despite facing many shortcomings, the staff soldier on.
Last year, the team held weekly awareness courses to caregivers, parents, teachers, professionals, doctors and nurses in different locations.
“We have a committed team.
Many have brought in friends to help through word of mouth. Work satisfaction has kept many of us here.
“Some children came in with no speech. Today, when I ask them who I am, they say, ‘Mrs Liew’.
“And one child told me once: ‘I am what I am today because of Nasom’.
How would you feel (after hearing that)?” nThere will be a charity show on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on May 17 in Golden Screen Cinemas, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Proceeds from the tickets, priced at RM40 each, go towards Nasom.
WHEN IT HELPS TO BE FIRM
SHE has worked as a teacher at the headquarters of the National Autism Society of Malaysia (Nasom) for 13 years and has taken medical leave only once.
U.R. Parimaladevi admits that falling sick can’t keep her away from the centre.
“I’ll be here till the day I can’t wa l k , ” she says, softly.
That’s a revelation from a teacher who masks her soft-heartedness with the loudest voice and fiercest demeanour.
Mala, one of 17 teachers in Nasom headquarters, is a teacher-aide to two older students in a school in the morning.
In the afternoon, she conducts early intervention classes for autistic children aged 4-6, where she teaches them how to solve jigsaw puzzles and put beads together to improve their motor skills.
She adopts a no-nonsense approach even with the young ones.
“If we want them to learn,we cannot pamper them. Many children can be toilet trained within one month here, but some still come here in diapers because their parents cannot train them at home.
“We have to be firm, but every little thing that a student manages to do is a big step forward, a major achievement . ” For Mala, her biggest motivation is seeing her students succeed in a task, even something as simple as holding a pencil.
A few students at the centre name her as cikgu paling garang.
But many know it’s a fa‧ade.
A 14-year-old student pops in halfway and intercepts the interview, saying, “Her favourite phrase is ‘banyak cantik awak!’” Mala bursts into a guffaw and looks embarrassed. She then hurries the student out of the room and begins to sing praises of the boy.
Her eyes twinkle as she talks about how well the boy is doing in class. Many times, she has been reduced to tears when her students display affection towards her, like rushing to hug her after a long absence.
On weekends when the teacher does not have to be at work, she thinks of her students and smiles.
“My two children at home would say, ‘Mummy ’s thinking bout her other children.’ “This is not a thankless job.”
New Straits Times
Pertemuan Dua Hero Tua
Susunan JESSABELL SOO
AKHIRNYA Jet dan Jackie bertemu dalam filem.
INI merupakan pertemuan pertama dua pelakon aksi terkemuka Jet Li dan Jackie Chan di lokasi penggambaran. Namun, kedua-dua insan sebenarnya sudah lebih sedekad menyimpan impian untuk bekerjasama.
Bertemu akhirnya dalam produksi Hollywood, The Forbidden Kingdom, filem ini bagaimanapun bukan didominasi oleh genre aksi sahaja kerana Jet, 45, dan Jackie, 54, berpendapat mereka terlalu ‘tua’ untuk bertarung lagi.
Turut diadunkan dengan elemen fantasi serta pengembaraan, filem ini menceritakan kisah seorang lelaki Amerika bernama Jason (Michael Angarano), 17 tahun yang mengembara ke zaman purba China menggunakan mesin masa.
Setibanya di sana, dia ditugaskan untuk membebaskan Raja Monyet (Jet) dan bertemu dengan Lu Yan (Jackie) untuk mempelajari seni kung fu.
Diarahkan oleh pengarah filem The Lion King, Rob Minkoff, cerita diadaptasi daripada novel klasik Cina popular, Journey To The West dan skrip filem ini ditulis oleh John Fusco.
Bagi lebih mendalami filem yang turut dibintangi oleh Michael Angarano, Morgan Benoit, Collin Chou, Li Bingbing dan Liu Yifei, ikuti petikan Jet dan Jackie dalam temu bual yang disediakan oleh Buena Vista Columbia TriStar Films (M).
Adakah semua babak pertarungan diarahkan oleh Yuen Wo Ping sahaja? Adakah anda menyumbangkan idea?
Jet: Bagi filem seperti Fearless, ia lebih bersifat peribadi. Saya terlibat dalam bahagian penceritaan, koreografi aksi dan semua aspek kreativiti. Namun, dalam The Forbidden Kingdom, saya meletakkan semua ‘tanggungjawab’ kepada Wo Ping. Maka saya tidak terlibat dalam koreografi mahupun segi kreativiti kerana percaya dengan kredibiliti dia dan pasukannya untuk memenuhi kualiti filem.
Jackie: Aksi koreografi dalam filem ini adalah lebih mudah. Ini mungkin filem paling relaks bagi saya untuk 47 tahun ini. Selalunya apabila saya membikin filem aksi sebagai aktor serta perlu melakukan tugas pengarah dan koordinator aksi dengan pasukan saya sendiri di lokasi penggambaran seperti untuk filem Rush Hour.
Saya tidak mempunyai masa untuk berehat kerana perlu mempelajari bahasa Inggeris, melatih orang untuk berlawan dan mereka cipta aksi berlawan. Namun, bagi filem ini, ia sangat relaks kerana ada bantuan Wo Ping.
Kami pernah bekerjasama 20 tahun lalu untuk Snake Eagle Shadow dan Drunken Master. Saya membiarkan dia melakukan semua benda kerana mempercayainya. Tetapi dia juga menghadapi banyak tekanan kerana dia perlu memikirkan aksi yang berlainan bagi saya dan Jet.
Ceritakan sedikit mengenai watak yang diterajui.
Jet: Saya ditanya sama ada ingin memainkan watak sami dari tokong Shaolin yang berpeluang untuk bertarung dengan pahlawan Terracotta dan juga Raja Monyet. Namun, saya tidak mahu menjayakan watak sami popular (berdasarkan cerita asal) kerana dia berpeluang berlawan dengan semua orang dan watak-watak lain adalah protagonis.
Jadi saya memilih watak Raja Monyet yang hanya mempunyai masa 20 minit di skrin layar dalam filem ini. Namun, disebabkan dia boleh transformasi kepada 72 watak, manusia mahupun material berlainan menggunakan rambutnya, jadi saya membuat keputusan untuk menjayakan kedua-dua watak sami dan juga Raja Monyet.
SELAIN menjadi filem pertama yang menggabungkan aksi Jet dan Jackie, The Forbidden Kingdom merupakan filem seni mempertahankan diri Yi Fei yang memainkan watak sebagai Golden Sparrow.
Apa yang membuatkan anda tertarik dengan filem ini?
Jackie: Jawapannya adalah Jet Li. Sudah lebih 10 tahun saya mengidam untuk bekerjasama dengan Jet Li. 15 tahun yang lalu, kami berada di bawah syarikat yang sama, Golden Harvest. Saya pernah menelefonnya dan bertemu serta bersetuju untuk berlakon bersama.
Kemudian saya menulis skrip tetapi timbul beberapa masalah politik syarikat. Jadi perancangan itu tidak berjaya. Lapan tahun lalu, saya bertemu dengan Jet di Hollywood dan sudah berbincang dan bersetuju. Malangnya tiada apa yang berlaku.
Dan saya selalu berharap sebelum saya bersara, saya ingin berlakon dengan orang yang saya sanjungi seperti Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro dan Jet. Apabila mereka berbincang mengenai skrip The Forbidden Kingdom, saya terus bersetuju apabila mendapati Jet akan turut serta dalam filem ini.
Bagaimana dengan proses mengajar Michael Angarano seni kung fu? Adakah anda rasa dia mempunyai potensi untuk menjadi pengikut seni mempertahankan diri?
Jet: Michael seorang budak yang bijak dan saya gembira bekerjasama dengannya. Bukan saya seorang yang berpendapat sedemikian. Pengarah seni, Wo Ping juga memberitahu Michael mampu melakukan urutan aksi dengan tangkas.
Ramai orang mempunyai bakat untuk mempelajari sesuatu dan saya rasa dia memiliki bakat untuk mempelajari filem aksi dan kung fu. Tidak ramai orang yang boleh mengawal pergerakan badan dengan baik tetapi dia berjaya.
Ini merupakan filem seni mempertahankan diri pertama buat aktres Liu Yifei dan anda mempunyai beberapa babak dengannya. Anda perlu ‘menjaga’ dia?
Jet: Saya tidak perlu mengambil berat sesiapa kerana Jackie akan melakukan tugas itu. Cuma semasa kami menunggang kuda, saya ada memberikan sedikit bantuan dengan mengawal kelajuannya. Secara keseluruhan, Jackie akan menjaga semua orang di lokasi penggambaran.
Adakah anda menghadapi sebarang kesukaran semasa menjayakan filem ini?
Jackie: Saya rasa keseluruhan filem adalah mencabar. Beberapa tahun ini, saya sentiasa mencuba perkara berbeza tidak kira dalam watak dan lakonan dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Ia amat sukar berbanding Mandarin atau Kantonis.
Saya perlu mengingati begitu banyak perkataan sehingga ‘menjejaskan’ lakonan saya. Masalah yang sama saya hadapi untuk filem ini. Jadi kadang-kadang saya agak bengang tetapi ini adalah cabarannya.
FILEM ini diadaptasi daripada novel klasik Cina popular, Journey To The West.
Ceritakan sedikit mengenai babak berlawan dengan Jet. Bagaimana dengan keserasian anda berdua?
Jackie: Semua orang berpendapat kami bekerjasama buat kali pertama tetapi bagi saya tiada bezanya kerana kami telah berkenalan lebih 20 tahun. Apa yang mengejutkan adalah rakaman babak berlawan kerana kami berlawan dengan perasaan teruja.
Ramai orang perlu berlatih tetapi kami cuma berpandangan dan terus berlawan. Mungkin kerana dia ingin menguji kepantasan saya dan saya pula ingin menguji bakatnya. Rakaman pertama berlalu dengan pantas dan semua orang menyuruh kami untuk perlahankan kelajuan.
Pengalaman bekerjasama dengan pengarah, Rob Minkoff? Pandangan mengenai elemen baru yang disuntik dalam The Forbidden Kingdom?
Jet: Secara jujur, saya banyak bekerjasama dengan unit kedua iaitu unit aksi. Jadi saya jarang bekerja dengan pengarah. Filem ini diadaptasi daripada cerita mitologi Cina popular tetapi dibikin menerusi pandangan orang Barat.
Jadi kami mempunyai beberapa perselisihan faham semasa mencari cara untuk menggambarkan cerita secara tradisional supaya difahami semua penonton. Namun, dia seorang yang hebat. Saya percaya dia juga melalui masa yang sukar di China kerana ini merupakan kali pertama dia cuba menggabungkan dua budaya berlainan bersama.
Adakah anda rasa cerita tulisan John Fusco ini telah berlari jauh daripada konsep dongeng legenda dan seni mempertahankan diri?
Jackie: Cerita mengenai sami Cina ini pada saya memang tidak masuk akal. Namun, ia adalah sama dengan filem seperti Rush Hour dan Shanghai Noon (sama tidak masuk akal). Peliknya, filem sebegini berjaya untuk pasaran Amerika. Seperti siri filem Rush Hour, saya sendiri tidak menyukainya tetapi ia mencatat kejayaan besar di Amerika kerana itu adalah budaya Amerika.
Saya masih sukakan filem lama saya seperti Drunken Master dan Police Story. Saya rasa ia lebih bagus daripada Rush Hour tetapi tidak dapat ditayangkan di pawagam besar. Jadi saya sedar perbezaan budaya, ia adalah dua pasaran berbeza. Maka cerita sebegini, ia tidak masuk akal bagi saya tetapi berlainan dengan pasaran Amerika.
ADEGAN menggembara ke zaman purba Cina untuk menyelamatkan Raja Monyet antara babak menarik filem ini.
Harapan untuk filem ini?
Jackie: Saya berharap untuk membawa lebih banyak budaya Cina kepada masyarakat Barat supaya mereka lebih mengenali budaya kami. Saya adalah duta pelancongan China dan Asia dan saya mahu memperkenalkan budaya Asia supaya orang Barat akan melawat kita.
Menerusi filem The Forbidden Kingdom (Journey to the West), saya berharap studio Amerika akan membantu menyebarkan budaya Cina kepada dunia.
Kosmo
The Random Chemistry Of Hollywood
Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson make a hot coupling - but it doesn’t always translate to box-office gold. Felix Cheong takes a look at the mysteries of perfect casting.
Put two and two together. The result could be a cash bonanza.
Just check out the high-profile casting of several films either currently showing or coming soon.
In the Dr Seuss tale, Horton, Jim Carrey trades one-liners with Steve Carrell - the “It” comedian of the 1990s with his heir-apparent, respectively. The cartoon has already raked in more than US$196 million ($266 million) worldwide.
Imagine the producers laughing all the way to the bank if both men were to appear in a live-action movie together.
In the same vein, Cassandra’s Dream plays tag-team with two of the most popular British actors in recent memory, Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell, while the period drama The Other Boleyn Girl pits two of the finest American actresses of their generation, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, against each other.
But tighten your seatbelts, the best is yet to come: Jackie Chan squares off against Jet Li in the gongfu extravaganza, The Forbidden Kingdom, due to be unleashed next week.
The mere mention of their names in the same billing is enough to set cash registers ringing. Which is why such dream-team combos crop up every now and then.
It makes good marketing sense - at least on paper. Of course, sometimes it just doesn’t translate into box-office gold.
Take, for instance, Heartburn (1986), featuring two of the most decorated Hollywood stars in recent memory, Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, who between them share 26 Oscar nominations and five statuettes. It should have been a no-brainer, but the Mike Nichols romantic comedy about two Washington journalists failed to pull any heartstrings, grossing just US$25 million.
It could have been the lack of that ill-defined thing, chemistry. Still, even when it exists, it’s not fool-proof that it’ll create sparks the second time round.
Such was the case with the recent Fool’s Gold, which reunited the ditzy blonde antics of Kate Hudson with the bronzed, good looks of Matthew McConaughey. The pairing worked magic in 2003’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days to the tune of US$177 million worldwide.
No such luck with Fool’s Gold - it sank with just US$75 million in takings.
Blame it on the poor script, which is probably why Ocean’s Twelve didn’t quite pull it off as slickly as the first Ocean’s Eleven even though both films had the ooh-la-la appeal of two of the sexiest men on the planet, George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
So, it all boils down to how the dream team plays together to a good script - everything else is just marketing hype.
The award for the dream team cast, in my opinion, must surely go to Wong Kar Wai’s second feature film, Days of Being Wild. Everybody who is now a somebody in Hong Kong cinema had a role in that 1991 flick: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Maggie Cheung and Carina Lau.
The moody story about young drifters was made at a time when these names were still breaking onto the scene.
Try reuniting them - apart from resurrecting the late Leslie Cheung - and you’d probably need a budget upwards of US$20 million.
I guess even dreams come with a price tag. -
Channel News Asia