Children with special needs

This year has been a great year for me and a way for me to learn more about children with special needs.

Coincidentally, the contact came from work. I got a contact from the Association for People With Special Needs (APSN). The students are very smart. They know what they are doing. There are many people out there with a misconception that these children are useless, a waste of society's resources. However, I look at them as a special gift from God.

Though there is always a group of students who come to the centre to volunteer, there is not much chance to really know them. In the previous batch, I was too engrossed with work that I did not notice any of the eight students that came. In this current batch, I notice each and every student every week.

There is a girl who always smiles readily. She is very helpful and will do things to her best. Another girl is very shy. One guy is always standing around, doing nothing and ordering people to do things. Then there is one guy who has down syndrome. From the first day he volunteers with us, I have already noticed him. He has a great pleasure in serving the elderly. When he is laying the tables, he makes sure that the forks and spoons are placed neatly. If he sees any of these out of place or slightly out of place, he will redo it himself. Last week, before he goes back to school, he even gives thanks to each of the volunteers and hugs some of us. In fact, he even planted a kiss on one of the elderly volunteers' cheek. Then the other two guys are very quiet. But they have told the teacher that they like serving the elderly. May God bless them greatly.

There is also another opportunity for me to get to know children with such special needs. Recently, we have employed such a child in our centre to be a cleaner. At first, I am worried whether the tasks he is assigned to will be too difficult for him. But he proves himself well. Though he does things slowly, he is able to do things according to schedule. What's more important is I really admire his ability to do things. Besides, this experience helps me to know this group of children more. I have to be patient with them. After giving them instructions, I have to ask them back what they need to do. No matter what others say about them, like they are rich man's kids with maids at home, I view them as a very special gift from God that can do things as good as any normal children.

Thank God for making such children to teach me meekness.