Child development issues
New lease of life after medication, two years of hard work to catch up, hyperactivity girl admitted to CUHK
A student who frequently came last, and liked to tap their feet during class, would often be labelled as lazy. 18-year-old Tse Lok-yi has carried the "lazy student" stigma since childhood, but no one realised it was due to ADHD andAttention deficitHe acted up and his talent was almost buried by scolding. It wasn't until the fourth year of secondary school that the mystery was solved. With drug treatment, Lok-yi was reborn. He caught up with the new senior secondary curriculum in two years and finally achieved two level 5** in the Diploma of Secondary Education examination, successfully gaining admission to the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Yesterday, he was awarded a scholarship for students with disabilities by the Sir Y.K. Pao Foundation to commend him.
In fact, Lok Yi's symptoms appeared when she was a child. When she was in kindergarten, her record for completing homework was 8 hours, and in primary school, she had to work until the early hours of the morning. "The night before a dictation test, I would copy it out many times, but the next day I would completely forget it. I would sit for an hour doing homework and only pick up my pen." She studied at a Band 1 secondary school in Tai Po and consistently ranked among the last few in her year every year. "Teachers always scolded me for being lazy and not serious, and I felt like I was beyond help."
The first time I enjoyed doing homework after treatment.
During her third year of secondary school, the school began to push students to prepare for the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination. Loyi felt like she was facing a formidable enemy, often suffering from stomach aches on her way to school and even crying during lessons. Her family then realised something was wrong and took her to a paediatrician, who immediately referred her to a child psychologist. In her fourth year, she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). "I was so happy at that moment! It wasn't my fault after all." She began taking medication and jokingly said it was the first time she experienced the joy of homework, "I would be so engrossed in doing maths problems that I didn't want to get up."
To catch up, Lok-yi studied almost constantly at home, and finally achieved excellent results in the Diploma of Secondary Education examinations. She scored the highest grade of 5** in both Chinese and Chinese Literature, and 5* in Chinese History. Last year, she enrolled at the Chinese University of Hong Kong to study Chinese Language and Literature. Still requiring medication to manage her condition, she expressed her hope to publish a book sharing her experiences. In the future, she aspires to become a teacher, promoting Chinese culture while also caring for students with special educational needs.
Mother hopes schools will strengthen identification of sick children
Lok Yi's mother, Mrs. Tse, accompanied her daughter to receive the award yesterday. Besides being moved, she also felt a bit guilty, believing she had delayed her daughter's studies. "We didn't know, and the teacher didn't know. We just thought she'd always been slow at doing her homework." Mrs. Tse hopes that schools can improve their identification of students with **ADHD** and discover more "lazy students" affected by the condition at an earlier stage. The Sir Yue-Kong Pao Memorial Fund has allocated HK$6.72 million this year to reward approximately 900 students, working professionals, and apprentices.
Source: Apple Daily
