Visit to Spastic Children's Association

Psychology Club’s Visit to Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor & Federal Territory 

"We are so blessed to be living normal, functional lives yet sometimes, we can take all these for granted."

These were the sentiments of the 9 people who visited the Spastic Children’s Association of Selangor & Federal Territory (SCAS & FT) on Friday, 27th June 2014. The trip, organized by the Psychology Club, was a chance for students of TCSH to witness and understand the plight of spastic people. A ‘spastic’ is a person who has cerebral palsy, a disorder caused by damage or abnormal development of the cerebrum. This causes a person to exhibit various symptoms individual to each victim, such as posture problems, inability to walk, deafness, blindness, learning difficulties, and more.

Upon reaching the venue, we were first greeted by the warm and friendly Puan Rohani. She gave the participants a briefing about the centre and its students, emphasizing that the centre was not a place where people could leave their unwanted children but a school, where spastic people were guided to achieve their maximum potential. The association took in children as young as 5 years old and even gave aid to adults with severe cases. 

Training one's hand-eye coordination through bowling

 At approximately 10.30 am, when most of the spastic students were having their tea break, the tour around the vicinity started and was led by Puan Rohani. The first stop was the gym, a place which helped the spastic students develop better posture and strength. One of the resident physiotherapists showed and described the various equipment used, such as a machine that helped users to stand upright and even common exercise machines like treadmills. Another interesting facility was the hydrotherapy pool, filled with warm water to help calm the spastic students. We also marvelled at a room decorated with handicraft completed by the spastic students. The remarkably beautiful works of art ranged from detailed cross-stitching to elaborate paper cards with intricate designs. Some of the extra money collected from the fees paid for the trip was used to buy some of these cards in order to support the association.

As we made our way around the centre, we were greeted with smiles and excitement from the spastic students. One young boy used a toy to spell some of our names as he couldn’t speak well. Some of the spastic students enthusiastically shook our hands and were reluctant to let go. One of the students even innocently asked us to write our names on a piece of paper, so she could remember us.

However, the most interesting part was observing the classes in progress, which started at 11.00am. In one class, an occupational therapist showed us how she used coloured blocks to help teach a spastic child to develop better control of her hand muscles and on focusing. The student, who was blind, had difficulty in staying still and required a lot of guidance from the patient and gentle teacher. Meanwhile, another group of students played bowling, safely strapped in the comfort of their chairs. The students were giddy with delight as they threw balls toward the pins, despite their impaired coordination skills. 

Physiotherapy enhances the quality of lives

 Perhaps the most fascinating class was in the sensory room, a room which helped the spastic students stimulate most of their senses. There were colourful lights displayed from disco balls, lighted fibre optic strings that were tied together, a soft piano mat that made various sounds, a bubbling lighted water display and many more. The spastic students and our TCSH participants were enthralled by the beauty of this room and it was an enjoyable experience to watch the spastic children crawl or roll - as most could not walk - to whatever that interested them the most and proceeded to play with it. 

Fascination with glowing tentacles

Finally, the highlight of the trip was our last activity: a game of boccia with the centre’s national Paralympic players. The game involved a great deal of control towards the ball, and not surprisingly, our TCSH students were at first, badly defeated by the skilled players. However, after a few rounds of getting used to the game, the TCSH team managed to win 2 matches. 

Boccia - derived from the Latin word of "boss"

All in all, the participants were made aware of the conditions of cerebral palsy and their effects on a person. While it was sad to see the severe conditions of some spastic students, it was certainly inspiring to observe the staff who were patient, loving and hopeful towards them. Our tour guide, Puan Rohani was a prime example. She showed true kindness as she engaged and encouraged every student who passed by. She encouraged us, the students of TCSH, to do volunteer work and look past the minimal pay as it was a very fulfilling life. The happiness she emanated was convincing evidence of this. This radical love of the staff and the innocent, trusting smiles of the spastic people were enough for us to see past their exterior differences and recognize them for who they truly are - people.

To gaze beyond the vortex, and unravel its core

Written by Christine Kuan
Editorial Board Writing Department
South Australian Matriculation