However, for young Leander Wolmarans (9) who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder it’s a different story.
His positive energy is a force to be reckoned with. Leander’s mother Thina, says he could not wait for the school to re-open on the 15th of February.
“He jumps out of his bed every morning with a huge smile on his face. He dresses himself, brushes his teeth, neatens his hair and runs to the kitchen for breakfast.”
Leander often tells his mommy that she must hurry because he will be late for school and when mommy drops him off at school, he gets out of the car and runs to the sanitising point excitedly. “Leander loves his school … pandemic or not,” she said.
The grade 1 learner at Laerskool Drakensig has the best teacher in the world, teacher Tanja accommodates him in a mainstream classroom. As extremely challenging as it is teacher Tanja walks the extra mile to ensure that Leander reaches his full potential, academically and socially.
Also read: Supermom’s advice on raising an autistic child
“Teacher Tanja, his classmates and everyone at Laerskool Drakensig loves him dearly. Leander is truly blessed to be surrounded by teachers and friends, who understand him and will move mountains for him. At school, he is in the most beautiful and perfect environment,” said his mother.
His teacher has also carefully explained to the class what autism means and why these learners behave differently.
When asked if there were any changes they had to make to make his life easier because of Covid-19, his mother proudly said Leander copes extremely well under all the challenges currently experienced due to Covid-19.
She said without a doubt he feels comfortable wearing a mask.
Also read: Shamu is Limpopo’s top swimming club
“Autistic children usually do not like others to come too close to them – their personal space is very important. Therefore, social distancing is no problem for Leander at all. He actually benefits from it! Leander performs at his best under a strict routine. When he returned to school after lockdown, the new rules that came with Covid-19 was just a new routine that he quickly learned to follow. He wears his mask with ease, stays on his cross in front of his class and sanitises religiously. During the first day of school this year, he very cutely helped his new grade 1 classmates to master the sanitiser stand at the entrance of the bathroom.”
Although Covid-19 has drastically changed the way of learning, Leander made use of this golden opportunity to excel.
“With the necessary guidance and support Leander worked extremely hard during lockdown. The extra one-on-one time that came along with the lockdown gave him the chance to improve, amongst others, his reading and mathematical skills in a great way. To many, this may not sound very significant. But for Leander, to read and do maths is a great achievement. Many believed that he would not be able to master these skills. But he did! During a global pandemic.”
Leander made his mother even more proud when he was named the Star of Drakensig and received the Abdoolaward at his school’s prize giving function at the end of 2020.
Also read: Bake a vanilla sponge cake for your child’s birthday
His mother proudly told Herald that the award is given to learners who rose above their circumstances.
“Leander did just that, he made his teachers extremely proud. There was not a dry eye in the audience when he walked on the stage and received his award that night. It was a huge surprise to him. He could not take his eyes off his shiny trophy and had the happiest smile on his face! This trophy now has a special place in his room, next to his bed. This award really boosted Leander’s confidence. It showed him in a practical way that his school and his teachers believe in him, that there was a reason for all the hard work and that it was all worth the effort.”
Leander is obsessed with animals.
He enjoys playing with his toy animals and he loves it when his mommy reads his favourite book, ‘Die storm op die plaas’, to him every night. Leander is truly a happy child.
