Going back to my previous post on the Family Fun Day celebration of Las Pinas Montessori School, I just can't help but not comment on the students suffering from Intellectual Disability. Those with autism, mental retardation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, aspergers, among others, were just so game in the competition. I stare in awe as they participate from one game to another. Cheering their hearts out for their teams, rooting for it to win. And their parents are ever supportive. :)
I salute LPMS for not having a separate activity for students with special needs because it cuts the barrier and does not stigmatize them. Exposing and having them interact with regular students make them feel more "normal" and would not feel like they are losers or unwanted.
Sadly, not everyone give the same love and care for persons with intellectual disability. We perceive them as abnormal people and would not want to interact with them because of a number of reasons. They're scary as they might harm you. Perhaps they will have a hard time talking to them. They don't have the patience to handle dealing with them. A number of reasons for sure.
When Nukh was diagnosed with Broad Spectrum Autism, I've heard some comments from neighbors that he is "abnormal." It broke my heart to hear those comments, especially those whom I have considered friends. While we cannot dismiss the fact that there is abnormality in his behaviour, it doesn't make him less of a person.
Nukh's heart is genuinely real. He shows you he's happy when he is happy. Sad when he is sad. Frustrated, angry, surprised, excited. You name any feeling you'll think of, and he'll honestly show you what he really feels. You'll see it in his eyes, his actuations. The challenge is to verbalize what he feels. And what difference is it for us so-called normal people. Oftentimes, when we are sad, we hide our true emotions by telling everyone we're ok. When we're hurting, we don't cry because it will be perceived as a weakness on our end. So who's the normal person now?
As with the symposium I attended at Las Pinas Montessori a few days ago, I stopped and thought of just starting my own crusade on protecting and upholding special children. I'd like to blog my way and be an advocate to hopefully lessen the social stigma that children like my Nukie experiences.
We consider our Nukie to be our lucky charm and our biggest blessing. And we will continue to do so. We love him for who he is, and will do all our best to help him cope up with the "norms" despite his condition. We're seeing a lot of improvement. But there's still a lot of work to be done.
Today, I hugged Earl, Nukh's classmate with mental retardation. He was plain happy to see me and embraced me wholeheartedly. When he finally broke the embrace (it was quite a hug I may say), I raised my hand and asked for a high five. His father was just happy I did that.
As I borrow the words of Dra. Rhoda, who was one of the speakers of the symposium, if you have nothing to say to someone who has intellectual disability, just offer a smile. It will surely come a long, long way. And knowing that you did something good would do wonders for your self, too. :)
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