When
he started at school at the age of four years he was totally withdrawn and
almost mute. He seemed unaware of other people, made no eye contact and roamed
about aimlessly making sudden dashed to other rooms where we would stare
intently at pictures which fascinated him and bolt back to his class room. He
showed no interest in any of the activities going on around him in his
classroom. He would co-operate in a mechanical way when his teacher worked with
him individually, but the moment his teacher moved away, Stephen would start
his lonely pacing, or find paper and pencil and scribble, totally absorbed for
long periods. Many of is drawings, as a result, are on scraps of paper.
The teachers who work with these complex children are skilled at making good use
of whatever the child offers and Stephen's one interest was clear. Step by step
Stephen was encouraged to draw and to use his drawings as a way to communicate
something of his inner world. The speech therapist and teacher worked closely
together in helping Stephen master the words that he needed most and was
rewarded when one day Stephen said "Paper?" Word by word, and over a long
period of time, Stephen began to build up his vocabulary. He was encouraged to
talk about his pictures and began to take pleasure in his growing skill. His
drawings improved rapidly and he experimented with a wide range of materials
and techniques, startling us one day with a series of wickedly accurate
caricatures of members of staff, and laughing very loudly at the effect they
produced... Lorraine Cole, Headmistress of the school Stephen attended during
1978 to 1987.
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