Finding Confidence in Communication with Speech and Drama Programme

When Carl was around 4 years old, we observed that whenever other kids approached him to talk or play, he would stay away from them and try to run away from them. We found that he was always trying to avoid other children and would not play or even talk with them. We discovered that this was his defense mechanism as he was unable to express himself and did not know how to interact and play with other kids his age.

We sought professional help by going to National University Hospital and they advised us to expose him more to play with other kids. But we found that he was still really having difficulty in socialising and he was not improving in that aspect, even in school.

Then, while searching the internet for other families’ experiences on how they were able to find enrichment for their child to communicate and be able to express themselves and find confidence, we learned about the classes that Lorna Whiston offers. We were particularly interested in Lorna Whiston’s Speech and Drama classes, as it seems that kids, even at a very young age, were able to develop their communication skills and, most of all, their confidence while having fun. We believed that the approach that Lorna Whiston was using would be beneficial to Carl’s development. We also learned that Lorna Whiston follows a certain teacher-student ratio that allows the teacher have ample time to supervise and provide the appropriate and helpful attention to each child. We believed that Carl would not see it as a school but rather as a place that would allow him to learn to express himself,to understand how to communicate with other children his age, to understand how other kids his age behave and, most of all, have fun in the process.

We have been noticing GREAT improvement in Carl. Even his personal speech therapist and his form teacher in St. Stephen School are amazed at how Carl has been developing. He is able to converse with us, with other adults and especially other kids with more confidence.

We know that learning is an ongoing process and we believe that learning facilitated by highly skilled teachers and facilitators who understand and care for each individual child’s needs and difficulties is necessary for Carl. The special thing we have found whenever Carl prepares to go to United Square every Saturday morning is that he does not feel that he is going to a place to study but rather to Lorna Whiston to have FUN and LEARN at the same time.

A Lorna Whiston Parent's Testimonial - Michael Camacho