Seven years ago, Chan Cheuk Wai-man was in despair at her twin sons' learning disabilities. She felt so helpless that she quit her job, started scolding them every day and reached the brink of divorce.
For most children, learning their ABC is easy. But for those like the Chan twins, now 10, even memorising words or characters is too hard. 'My sons could neither hold a pen nor write simple words,' recalls Ms Chan. 'They would reverse the order of Chinese characters. Their memories went blank despite round-the-clock revision the day before.'
With the help of parents of similar children, Ms Chan founded the Hong Kong Association for Specific Learning Disabilities. One in 10 local students suffers from specific learning disability (SLD), a disorder affecting a child's visual or audio interpretation and the ability to link up different information. SLD is a hidden disorder as the children look and act perfectly normal. Some possess above-average intelligence. Sufferers have included Hong Kong composer Lowell Lo, actor Tom Cruise and painter Leonardo da Vinci.
'What makes the difference is self-confidence,' says Lo. 'When I was young, I did what I wanted my own way. That's the unique power of SLD; we use our own methods to achieve our objectives, rejecting traditional approaches.'
A parent, keen to encourage multiple intelligence, rather than academic results said: 'SLD children are lovely and special, they are all gifted in one way or another, but they're just not suitable for SAR's educational system.'
The association warns that delays in dealing with SLD can have serious social consequences. Most teachers and parents fail to understand such disabilities, labelling sufferers lazy or rebellious. Parents should seek professional advice.
