Petaling Jaya, 6 January 2005 - Inattentive, indisciplined, hyperactive children do not make good students. And more often than not, schooling becomes an unpleasant experience for them for being constantly reprimanded. For the teachers, teaching these children is truly a daunting task. But what if the children are unknowingly sufferring from learning and behavioral difficulties? Can teachers do something to help?

Leading direct selling company, Amway (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (Amway) recently organised two separate talks for kindergarten and primary school teachers on common behavioural and learning problems affilicting school-going children today. These talks are part of Amway's community focus to promote positive mental health development amongst children under its One by One Campaign initiative.

In explaining the rationale behind the community programme, Amway's Managing Director, Low Han Kee said: "At Amway, we are dedicated to children's causes as we want to help them achieve their fullest potential. Our aim is to offer them the chance to lead healthier lives, both physically and mentally and that is why we saw the need to create awareness in the area of children's mental health."

Interestingly, studies have indicated that 1 in 5 young children in Malaysia have a tendency to experience periods of low mood, low self-esteem and depression which may require some form of professional intervention.

"Given this statistic and that children are generally in the care of their teachers for a good part of the day, Amway saw the need to impart the necessary knowledge to equip the teachers," added Low.

The talks were given by a team of psychologists, led by leading Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Teoh Hsien Jin. The teachers were given an introduction to children's mental health issues that included recognising tell-tale signs of common behavioral and learning difficulties. More than 200 teachers from various Klang Valley kindergartens and primary schools attended the talks.

According to Dr. Teoh: "Common problems that affect learning can be behavioral in nature. Some common examples include autism, Asperger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

"On the other hand, children can also be afflicted with common learning difficulties and neither they nor their parents are aware of it. Thus, it is important for teachers to be open to the possibility that their students learning rate may be impaired by these difficulties."

Some of the common learning difficulties shared by Dr. Teoh were dyslexia (reading difficulty), dysgraphia (spelling difficulty), dyscalculia (mathematical deficits) and speech and language delay.

The teachers were also taught reasons for children misbehaving which range from frustration, lack of understanding or immitating those around them. In order to successfully manage such difficult behaviours, the psychologists shared useful tips with the teachers such as praising and the "Time-Out" technique.

The talks received encouraging feedback from the teachers. Many could relate to Dr. Teoh's insights, which in turn helped them understand their pupils' behaviours.

Jacquita Gonsalez, a kindergarten teacher and a mother of four said: "As an educator and caregiver to young children, I found the talk very helpful. It will help me identify kids who might have learning problems early on and ways to handle those problems. That way, I am able to help them prepare for their future years of school and social activities."

This is even more crucial to Gonsalez as she has an autistic child under her care, and attended the talk to get insights on how to encourage and manage children with behavioral difficulties.

Mathematics and English teacher Mr. Siva Subramaniam of S.K. Jalan Hang Tuah 1, found the pointers presented by the speakers informative and an eye opener.

"Teachers are usually sent for training which focuses on the educational aspects but this is the first time I am attending a talk that provides us with the soft skills needed when dealing with our students. I find it very helpful as I now understand their behaviors better and can apply the tips learned when relating to my students," said Subramaniam.

The talks are part of Amway's two-pronged approach to promote positive mental health development amongst children. Aside from these talks, the company is also actively organising a series of Happy Healthy Minds Children Workshops to help children boost their self-esteem and social skills. The children's workshops are coupled with Parenting Seminars to reach out to parents and caregivers as they are the catalysts in shaping the lives of children. By doing so, Amway is indirectly helping children achieve their potential by offering them the chance to lead healthier lives, one by one.