Be A Volunteer

Volunteers' Stories

"Songs, laughter and fun"
By Ng Puay Hoon
Volunteer with AA(S)
September 30th, 1999

Three months ago, I joined the Autism Association (Singapore) as a volunteer. I was a little nervous on the first day, not knowing exactly how to handle the kids and the parents. But I found that I enjoyed singing, playing and teaching the kids... thus I have been joiningthem every morning on Saturday at the Clementi centre since.

The children are lovable - each has his/her own tempers, likes and dislikes. It takes some time to uncover those. And it heartens you to see the children having fun, whilst at the same time making progress and learning new skills.

Understanding children with autism isn't all that simple. It is only through interaction with the kids and experience gained from working with them that knowledge accumulates (I think). I have learnt a lot from Mrs. pang who provides much guidance and tips on how to handle the kids (and their parents!). She would always point out details that I would never have noticed. At the end of each lesson, we have a debrief and she would run through with us the situations that happened in class, how we can best handle them the next time they occur. Thus, while lending a hand, I am also learning new skills. It surprises me how not only am I learning more about autism, subsequently, it also teaches me about human behaviour in general.

Now, Saturday mornings are filled with songs, laughter and fun.

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