SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1979
THE RESULT OF ONE A CONICAL-SHAPED TREE, GALE FORCE WINDS AS IT TYPHOON HOPE.
MY
3
OF THESE TRIALS WAS THE DISCOVERY THAT
MACARANGA TENARIUS+ CAN WITHSTAND WAS PROVEN DURING THE PASSAGE OF
+I HOPE TO GROW MORE OF THIS TREE NEXT YEAR,+ MR. HSU SAID.
HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT APART FROM SUPPLYING STOCKS TO COUNTRY PARKS AND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, THE NURSERY MAKES AVAILABLE A SMALL AMOUNT OF SEEDLINGS FOR SALE TO THE PUBLIC, ESPECIALLY SCHOOLS, ORGANISATIONS AND FARMERS.
TEACHING HANDICAPPED CHILDREN HOW TO SPEAK
******
TWO YEARS AGO, A WORRIED MOTHER TOOK HER FIVE-YEAR-OLD SON TO THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S SPECIAL SERVICES CENTRE IN SAI YING PUN FOR CONSULTATION BECAUSE HIS SPEECH WAS UNINTELLIGIBLE AND HE WAS SLOW IN GENERAL LEARNING ABILITY.
DIAGNOSIS MADE BY A MEDICAL OFFICER AND A PSYCHOLOGIST SHOWED HE HAD MINIMAL BRAIN DAMAGE, AND THOUGH HAVING AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE, HE WAS ABOUT THREE YEARS BEHIND A NORMAL CHILD IN SPEECH AND LANGUAGE ABILITY.
A SPEECH THERAPIST AT THE CENTRE THEN DREW UP A TREATMENT PROGRAMME TO ENCOURAGE THE BOY TO EXPRESS HIMSELF IN VARIOUS WAYS AND TO ARTICULATE, DIFFERENT SPEECH SOUNDS.
THE BOY, NOW SEVEN YEARS OF AGE, HAS JUST FINISHED KINDERGARTEN. HIS SPEECH IS NOW INTELLIGIBLE, BUT STILL KE HAS PROBLEMS IN UNDERSTANDING AND EXPRESSING MORE ABSTRACT AND COMPLICATED IDEAS.
+THERE MAY BE OTHER PROBLEMS AS THE BOY GROWS UP, FOR EXAMPLE READING PROBLEM, BUT HE HAS ALREADY MADE REMARKABLE PROGRESS IN OVERCOMING HIS SPEECH IMPAIRMENTS,+ SAID MISS BETTY KO, SPEECH THERAPIST OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SECTION.
MISS KO SAID THAT IF NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE MADE FOR THE BOY TO GO TO A SPECIAL CLASS FOR SLOW-LEARNING CHILDREN,
THE SPEECH SCREENING PROGRAMME, FIRST INTRODUCED IN 1969, IS TO ENSURE ALL CONGENITAL OR ACQUIRED SPEECH AND LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENTS OF A SCHOOL CHILD ARE DISCOVERED AND REMEDIAL ACTION TAKEN AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE,
AT PRESENT, SPEECH SCREENING SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO PRIMARY THREE STUDENTS IN GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SCHOOLS ONLY, BUT AS OUTLINED IN THE 1977 REHABILITATION WHITE PAPER, THE COVERNMENT IS PLANNING TO HAVE THE SERVICE EXTENDED TO COVER PRIMARY THREE STUDENTS OF ALL SCHOOLS BY 1985.
/MISS KO.....