------Program code: NS-080717-03600 (what's this?)
Source: CCTV.com
07-17-2008 11:24
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Seven-year-old Zhou Tianchen is considered a gifted child. He likes to spend time alone with his colourful paper discs and wood blocks. This is a jigsaw puzzle. With different combinations, the degree of difficulty changes. An adult normally can’t finish a jigsaw with 70 wood blocks in such a short period of time. But it’s easy for Tianchen to finish a 118-block jigsaw. He finishes the more complicated ones without even looking at the drawing.
Look, he only spent a minute on this jigsaw. He spent just 12 minutes on this jigsaw with 118 blocks. While children his age usually go to school, Tianchen studies at home. His mother home schools him, teaching him Chinese, Math, Music,and Art. Any subject she can think of, she teaches him. Why does she teach him at home? 24
As she was talking about him, she seemed a little worried. What’s so different about Tianchen?
Is there something wrong with Tianchen? His mother took him to the hospital for a general checkup. But it turned out nothing was wrong.
Though there was nothing wrong with his body, his family was still confused by his behavior. He often talked to himself or stared at a stick for a long time. They couldn't understand why he did this. His mother wanted to take him to the hospital again.
They were shocked by the diagnosis. Tianchen’s family thinks that his pervasive development disorder will improve when he grows up. But the doctors told them there is no cure for his disorder. Tianchen went from being labeled a gifted child to being labeled autistic. His family was frustrated. 14
Autism is the most common pervasive development disorder. Many people think of the movie Rain Man because one of its main characters had autism. In one scene, a waiter dropped a box of toothpicks on the ground. The main character, Ray immediately tells them the number of the toothpicks there are. In the real world, there are a number of people with autism who have similar talents and like Tianchen they can’t communicate well with others. Their language development is also inhibited, some can’t even speak. They usually fixate on one thing. According to surveys by the China Disabled Persons’ Federation in 2001 and 2004, at least 300,000 or 400,000 children in China are diagnosed with autism. With progress made in medicines, many of them may be able to have a more normal life. Is this possible for Tianchen? Tianchen’s mother went to several hospitals seeking new treatments, but came away in disappointment.
What about Tianchen? Is there no hope for him? His mother cried over his condition for a long time until one day something he did caught her eye. Tianchen likes animals. He can immerse himself in pictures of animals. Could they get him to speak through his interest in animals?
In the meantime, Tianchen’s mother took him to a school. Instead of children, it’s the parents who undergo training here. This is a school for autistic children. The teachers here make up special training plans for each child according to their needs. As for Tianchen, the teacher made a special plan for him since he’s so fond of animals.
Every week, the teacher spends time working with him on a different animal jigsaw puzzle. After he finishes this, the teacher will ask him to tell a story to others. For an ordinary child, this is quite easy. But for autistic children, it’s a major step forward as they are able to communicate with others.
After some time at the school, he is now able to communicate with others. At the New Year's party, he played an electric organ. His mother was overjoyed by his performance. At the same time, they hope that one day he’ll be able to attend a regular school.
