Special Olympians,Special Heroes
By Yu Lintao
Young athletes with intellectual disabilities show what they can do with encouragement at Special Olympics
Li Xiang is 15. But according to physicians, his mental age is 5 to 6. Yet the teen with Down syndrome, a genetic disorder causing physical and mental retardation, proved to be a hero at the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2019 held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates(UAE), from March 14 to 22.
When Li was diagnosed with the disorder one month after his birth, his parents were stunned. It seemed like the end of the world at that time. However, when Li was 10, Chinese Olympic gymnastic champion Li Xiaopeng visited the special education school where Li Xiang was and performed for those special students there. The act made Li Xiang fascinated with gymnastics.He told his parents he was determined to become an Olympic champion like Li Xiaopeng.
It brought a ray of hope to his parents to find their son had talent in sports.
It was not easy for a child with Down syndrome to practice gymnastics. Li suffered from coordination and balance problems and was very sensitive when facing failure. However, with the encouragement of his teachers, coach and parents, he pursued his dream though he kept hurting his arms and legs, grazing his hands and bleeding again and again.
In 2015, at the age of 11, Li Xiang attended his first Special Olympics in Los Angeles as one of the youngest competitors. It was a golden debut. He won a gold,two silvers and two bronzes.
Since climbing the rostrum that time,he became more and more confident.“Though years of sports haven’t improved Li Xiang’s intelligence, I can feel his comprehensive progress in life, in self-discipline and in getting along with other people,” his mother Yang Jianying told Beijing Review in Abu Dhabi, with happy tears in her eyes.
It is difficult for people to imagine the hardship Li Xiang’s family has endured to bring up their special child and their happiness on seeing the progress he has achieved. At the Abu Dhabi Special Games,a determined Li Xiang harvested two golds,four silvers and a bronze.
For the young players of the Chinese bocce team for the 2019 Summer Special Olympics, their coach Fang Jianqin is like their mother. Fang is a teacher at the special education school in Handan, north China’s Hebei Province.
Li Xiang was one of the more than 7,500 athletes who overcame their different disabilities to show their métier at the 2019 Summer Special Olympics.
A special group
Li Xiang (right), Special Olympics champion gymnast with his idol Chinese Olympian Li Xiaopeng in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on March 15
“I love sports. It makes me feel happy and energetic,” Li Xiang told reporters after his events.
People with intellectual disability have problems letting others know their wants and needs as well as taking care of themselves. Intellectual disability could cause a child to learn and develop more slowly than other children of the same age. It could also take them longer to learn to speak,walk, dress, or eat without help, and they could have trouble learning in school. Thus it is more difficult for them to hone their skills and show their talent in the sports arena.
Shi Zhuoying is a teacher with the special education school in Pudong New Area,Shanghai. She is also the coach of Li Xiang and other athletes of the Chinese gymnastic team for the 2019 Summer Special Olympics. The 55-year-old has worked in the school for around 25 years.
“They are a special group. We need to try our best to understand them. They really need more and special care and love,not only from their families but also from the whole society,” Guo said.
4号煤层平均厚度14.5 m，上部及下部以半亮型煤为主，节理裂隙较发育，脆性强，中部以半暗型煤为主。煤层中夹有1层灰白色泥岩，井下钻孔原位测试强度平均为21.08 MPa。5244运输巷附近测点的最大水平主应力为16.53 MPa，垂直主应力为11.34 MPa，最小水平主应力为9.13 MPa。最大水平主应力方向为N19.8°W ，巷道布置方向为N63°E，与最佳角度之间的锐角为49.7°，受地应力的影响较大。
Nurturing self-confidence
When introducing the Chinese delega-tion to reporters, Guo Liqun, Director of the Department of Publication and Culture of China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF),told a simple but sobering story. For athletes without disabilities, the firing of the starting gun means the race is on but for the intellectually disabled, some even don’t know in which direction to run.
Shi told reporters since the children have difficulty in learning and remembering gymnastic movements, coaches like her need boundless patience to teach them the moves again and again. The teachers never scold the students but encourage them all the time. And the most important thing is showing them love.
Though it is hard work, working and living with these children brings Shi a lot of happiness. In her eyes, they are virtuous rather than mentally disadvantaged.
“The primary reason families have their intellectually disabled children take up gymnastics and other sports is to cultivate their self-confidence. Every single bit of progress will bring them great encouragement. Our target is to help these children to better integrate into society,” Shi said.
The Chinese Government has increased efforts for the rehabilitation of the group.Statistics from the CDPF show that by the end of 2018, over 9,000 rehabilitation agencies for the disabled were established nationwide. Of them, over 3,000 provide services for the intellectually disabled. In 2018, around 10.75 million disabled people in China received government-supported rehabilitation services, including 838,000 intellectually disabled.
爱德华和迈拉，另外两位来自博学派的新生，坐在跟我们隔着两个餐桌的地方，他们贴得很近，切食物的时候两人的胳膊肘都会碰到一起。突然迈拉停下来吻了爱德华。我小心翼翼地观察着他们，双颊有些发烫。说实话，我这一辈子还没看过几次别人接吻。
The Chinese delegation attends the opening ceremony of the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi,the United Arab Emirates, on March 14
这时候，泥巴突然动了几下，左小龙激动得好比孕妇感到胎动，他顺势把泥巴叫醒。泥巴醒来迷迷糊糊，张开眼睛看着四周，一副茫然，然后聚焦到左小龙身上，嘟着嘴对他说：“我要嘘嘘。”
治疗前，两组患者血糖、血脂水平比较，差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）；治疗后，治疗组血糖、TC、TG水平较对照组低，HDL-C水平较对照组高；差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。见表1。
Though her students cannot describe in words how much hard work their teacher has put in for them and how much they appreciate her, the smile that lights up their faces when her name is mentioned reveals their hearts.
1.2.1 符合罗马Ⅲ诊断标准:①必须满足以下至少2条:排便费力(至少每4次排便有1次);排便为块状硬便(至少每4次排便中有1次);有排便不尽感(至少每4次排便中有1次);有肛门直肠梗阻或阻塞感(至少每4次排便中有1次);需要用手操作(如手指辅助排便、盆底支撑排便)以促进排便(至少每4次排便中有1次);排便少于每周3次;②不用缓泻药几乎没有松散大便者;诊断肠易激综合征的条件不充分，诊断前症状出现至少6个月，近3个月满足以上标准者。
麦小秋陶醉地朝远处看着，不知什么时候他已经环住了她的腰身，已经在迷蒙中听着她青草一样的呼吸，暖色的灯光更衬托出一个女孩的轮廓，胸部在夜影中高耸，脸蛋像一只正在熟透的苹果，逗人想挂上去的小嘴里含着两排明亮的牙齿。饶哥低低地对小秋说：“告诉你个好消息，我在竞争一个重要职位，如果成功，也许能帮你更大的忙，解决更大的问题。”
Due to the disability, some youngsters are unable to look after themselves and occasionally soil their clothes.
“Though we all want the children to be more independent, in such cases we need to treat them as our own child, to comfort them, to wash them and encourage them,”Fang told Beijing Review. “As their teacher,my only wish is to see them grow up happily with our companionship.”
Every individual is different, Shi said in parting. As long as everyone, no matter able or disabled, tries his or her best to make progress, little by little, every day,they deserve respect.
Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar
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