擔任義務導師的一天
Serving as a volunteer tutor for one day
APF很高興邀請了著名舞台劇演員梁祖堯先生（阿祖）成為今年「關注自閉症大行動」的行動大使。阿祖一直熱心公益，為慈善服務不遺餘力。這次作為活動大使，他蒞臨本中心擔任義務導師一天，與自閉症兒童及青年近距離接觸，教授烹飪，並一起玩遊戲等。
APF is delighted to have Mr. Joey Leung, a renowned theatre actor, as the ambassador of the campaign this year. Joey has always been concerned about social welfare and devoted to charities. As the campaign ambassador, Joey visited our centre as a volunteer tutor for one day, and had a cookery lesson and played games with youths and children with ASD.
當天，阿祖與兩名自閉症青年（Henry及Wangdu）上了一堂烹飪課，一起製作一道香草燒雞。他描述烹飪時的過程：「當我教他們削甘荀皮是要向內削的，他們都很專心地學習和小心地做，而且做得很好，學習能力很高。」Henry之後更為阿祖沖泡了一杯美式咖啡，濃縮咖啡和水的比例恰到好處，阿祖喝得很是滋味，更稱讚Henry是一位專業的咖啡師。
On that day, Joey conducted a cookery lesson for two teenagers with ASD, Henry and Wangdu, to make a dish of roasted chicken with herbs together. Joey said that the two boys were attentive during the lesson, “When I taught them to peel carrots towards themselves, they did it carefully and did it well. Their learning ability is high." Henry even brewed a cup of Americano to Joey after the lesson, in which the proportion of expresso and water was particular. Joey enjoyed the coffee and praised Henry as a professional barista.
其後，阿祖與自閉症兒童一起做手工和玩遊戲。他分享：「我與他們玩得很開心，他們天真活潑。若不是預先知道，我根本不會發現他們是患有自閉症的。」但這反而讓他擔心，因為當徵狀不太明顯時，往往容易被忽略，而導致錯過接受專業治療的機會，對融入社會有一定程度的影響。
Afterwards, Joey did some craft works and played games with children with ASD. He said, “I was very happy when playing with them. They are adorable. If I hadn't known in advance, I wouldn't have recognised that they had ASD." However, it has also worried him. As some symptoms are implicit and are easily overlooked, people with autism may miss out the opportunities to access professional treatment and lead to adverse impacts on them for integrating into society.
在擔任義務導師前，阿祖一向以為自己認識自閉症；與自閉症兒童及青年相處後，才頓悟自己對自閉症只是一知半解。對於「接納是來自認知」這說法，他甚是認同：「自閉症是絕不能只是透過電影或廣告便能明白的，而是需要時間相處及了解。若要建立一個和諧共融的社會，我們都有責任去了解對方。」阿祖勉勵患有自閉症的人士不要感到沮喪，也不用覺得自己是被邊緣化的一群，因為其實每一個人都有他 / 她需要面對的困難。「只要當需要幫助時，便主動提出，總會有人願意伸出援手。」他亦有感育有自閉症孩子的家長所承受的壓力，望鼓勵他們盡量保持樂觀和積極的心境，全因自閉症孩子也有其獨特和優勝的地方，而且只要得到適切的治療，他們也能健康快樂地成長。
Before serving as a volunteer tutor, Joey always thought that he knew autism. Nevertheless, after spending time with children and youths with autism, he realised that all he got was superficial knowledge about autism. He agreed with the statement that "Acceptance comes from cognition". "Autism is not something that can be understood from movies or advertisements, but you need to spend time to get along with in order to understand the people with autism. If we want to cultivate a harmonious and inclusive society, we have the responsibility to get familiar with one another." Joey advised that people with autism shall not feel depressed or feel that they are left out, because everyone has to face his/her own challenges. “As long as you speak up, there will always be someone to help you.” He also understood the frustrations of parents whose children had autism, and encouraged them to stay optimistic and positive as their children would shine with their own uniqueness and strengths. In addition, with proper treatment, they can also lead a healthy and happy journey.
