2006
- Ping Lian, 12, is autistic and a hit in New York

2005
- Artistic autistic ‘stars’ in documentary
- Mother Teacher
- Strokes of genius from an 11-year-old autistic child
- Doc: Loving, optimistic and motivated families vital

2004
- Through the eyes of special kids

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Thursday January 19, 2006

Ping Lian, 12, is autistic and a hit in New York

By JOHAN FERNANDEZ

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

NEW YORK: Malaysian sensation Yeak Ping Lian, a 12-year-old autistic savant, is a hit in the Big Apple where he is holding his debut art exhibition.

His works were being shown with fellow autistic savant artists Richard Wawro of Edinburgh, Scotland, and Iranian-born Christophe Pillault of Olivet, France.

Ping Lian was the only artist present at the launch of the exhibition Autistic Savant Artworks: Don’t ‘dis’ the Ability at the Henry Gregg Gallery in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Italian artist Daniel Rossi was clearly impressed.

“He draws and paints what he feels. His work is not contaminated by other influences. I just love his work,” said Rossi.

TALENTED: Ping Lian posing with Dr Becker in front of some of his paintings at the launch of the exhibition at the Henry Gregg Gallery in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Kuala Lumpur-based Ping Lian’s mother Sarah Lee resigned from a senior position with a telecommunications company to spend more time with him. The youngest of three children, Ping Lian has very limited communication and social skills and lives in a world of his own.

He received home tutoring and attended supplementary lessons for children with special needs.

Lee said Ping Lian was a wonderful child, full of love. She advised parents with special children not to give up.

“Have faith in your child. Celebrate each small progress as a major achievement. Who knows one day a miracle may happen,” she had once said.

Dr Laurence Becker of the Creative Learning Environments of Austin, Texas, said artists like Ping Lian, Wawro and Pillault provided a fitting embodiment of the quality and persistence of the human spirit.

“I’m not an artist but an educationist, and my gift is to share this story, of these wonderful, gifted people,” he said.

Wawro is known worldwide for his detailed drawings using wax oil crayons; while Pillault, who is unable to talk, walk or feed himself and cannot use his fingers, uses his hands to paint.

Dr Becker and Dr Rosa Martinez of the Children’s Centre for Early Learning Creative Learning Environments in New York were responsible for organising the exhibition.

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Tuesday September 13, 2005

Artistic autistic ‘stars’ in documentary

Photos by KAMAL SELLEHUDDIN and SAM THAM

The world is now Yeak Ping Lian’s stage, thanks to his exhibitions and news of him in the media, including Australia’s 60 Minutes. VIVIENNE PAL catches up with the 12-year-old autistic savant, who is now the subject of a new Korean documentary that also features others like him, including Kim Peek, the original Rain Man, and Kodi Lee.

When I met Sarah Lee on Tuesday, she appeared to be in a slightly frenzied state. Her discomfiture was understandable – Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) TV producer Hyun Mo Jung was in town to film Lee’s son, Yeak Ping Lian, in a documentary entitled “Savant Syndrome.”

Jung ... was looking for an artistic savant from Asia when he was shown Ping’s works

Savant syndrome is an exceedingly rare, but remarkable condition in which persons with various developmental disorders, including autistic disorder, have astonishing islands of ability, brilliance or talent that stands in stark, markedly incongruous contrast to overall disability.

Acknowledged an autistic savant by American psychiatrist Dr Darold A. Treffert (author of Extraordinary People: Under-standing the Savant Syndrome and consultant to the movie Rain Man), Ping has produced remarkable works of art.

Some of his works have fetched high prices, including “Ubudiah Mosque 1,” bought for RM100,000 by an anonymous bidder during a charity auction, and “Twin Towers II,” which was purchased by a multinational company for RM10,000.

In contrast with his mother’s discomposure, 12-year-old Ping was calm and unperturbed by the fact that he would be appearing on TV, not that it would be his first time.

In the past two years since his artistic talent caught the media's attention, Ping had been featured on TV8’s Eve’s Diary and was more recently filmed in 60 Minutes, an Australian current affairs programme.

But, Savant Syndrome is no small-time documentary and it is a rare honour for Ping to be featured alongside two other notable savants – the original Rain Man Kim Peek and Kodi Lee – in the 60-minute production by KBS, one of Korea’s largest TV stations.

“I feel like ‘wow.’ Of all the autistic savants in the world, my brother will be filmed with Kim Peek in the documentary,” said Cher Lyn, Ping’s 14-year-old sister.

Produced at a budget of US$45,000, the documentary will be aired in Korea on Sept 17 during prime time, with no commercial breaks.

Ping’s bond with his 14-year-old sister Cher Lyn remains as strong as ever in spite of the increased publicity on him.

“It took one and a half years of research to put this documentary together,” said Jung, adding that the documentary took shape when a cameraman from KBS’ bureau office in Los Angeles witnessed nine-year-old musical savant Kodi Lee’s remarkable performance on the grand piano at a church event.

Curiosity at the boy’s ability led the KBS crew to an in-depth study on autism and the savant syndrome, followed by meetings and correspondences with Dr Treffert, who subsequently introduced them to Kim Peek and Ping.

“This documentary is about the savant syndrome and the journey to the discovery of the power of the human brain, particularly in autistic people.

“We wanted to feature an artistic savant from Asia (both Peek and Lee are from the US), and Dr Treffert showed us Ping’s “Twin Towers” and “Ubudiah Mosque 1.” We were impressed.

“We want to touch people’s hearts, teach the Korean community that autistic savants are geniuses. They are just like us, but communicate differently.

Ping drawing the Petronas Twin Towers, which is one of his favourite subjects. His mum, Sarah Lee, believes that constant encouragement helps nurture her son’s talent.

“If you look at them differently, there’s no way you can be a part of their world,” said Jung, adding that plans are under way for a sequel entitled Beyond the Power of the Human Brain.

Despite the increasing limelight, life goes on as usual for Ping and family.

“We’ve never taught him that it is a big achievement to be on TV, so he is not really concerned about appearing on screen. Fame or no fame, at the end of the day, he is happiest when he is drawing,” said Lee.

The home, from the last time I visited, was as cosy as ever and its walls lined with Ping’s framed artworks. Ping goes to school as usual, waters the plants in the garden with his water gun and adores his dog.

Academically, he has improved in his reading, writing, comprehension and number skills.

Art-wise, Ping is now able to work independently, while demonstrating marked improvement with bolder strokes, more rhythm in the way he blends his colours, and more inclination to the abstract.

Perhaps the most heart-warming of all is how the family has remained as close as ever and realised that all the attention is merely positive reinforcement to encourage and further nurture his talent.

MILESTONES

Here is a glimpse of the milestones – past, present and future – in Yeak Ping Lian's life:

2003
# “Different Strokes: Diversity Through Art” exhibition at National Art Gallery.

2004
# “TIMEOUT@Reka” exhibition at Reka Art Space
# “Different Strokes: Diversity Through Art” exhibition at National Art Gallery
# Solo exhibition held in conjunction with Sujeet Desai’s musical concert
# Exhibited art works of University Malaya faculty buildings at University Malaya Pesta Pendidikan Ko-Kurikulum 2004
# “Through My Eyes” exhibition at Villa Lotus
# International presentation of Ping’s artworks by Dr Laurence Becker (also a consultant to the movie Rain Man) at Texas Youth
# Leadership Forum for Young Persons with Disabilities, and Centre for Autism Syndrome Disorder Conference, Texas
# Participation in the RDA Charity Ball grand auction in aid of the Riding for the Disabled Association Malaysia, in which Ping's rendition of “Ubudiah Mosque 1” fetched RM100,000 from an anonymous bidder.

2005
# Solo exhibition at Association of British Women in Malaysia (ABWM).
# Solo exhibition at Suria KLCC Complex in conjunction with Suria KLCC Kid’s Carnival.
# Featured in 8TV’s programme Eve’s Diary.
# Filmed for Australia’s 60 Minutes as part of the show’s coverage of Professor Allan Snyder from Centre for the Mind and his work. Segment to be aired late 2005.
# Filmed for Korea Broadcasting System’s Savant Syndrome documentary alongside Kim Peek and Kodi Lee. To be aired in Korea on Sept 17.
# In the midst of preparing for a one-night private exhibition scheduled for the last quarter of the year. The event will be organised and sponsored by an undisclosed corporation.

2006
# Invitation by Henry Gregg Gallery in New York to participate in an exhibition in January. The same organisers are planning an exhibition tour in the US for Ping.

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Friday May 06, 2005 - Mothers Day

Mother Teacher

By LOH FOON FONG

Most Malaysian parents who want their children to excel academically or at least follow the syllabus taught in school usually send their children for tuition classes.

However, a handful of mothers decide to do it differently - they decide to home-school their children because they cannot bear seeing their children tied down with studies whole day long, or unable to make sense of lessons in school.

When Yeak Ping Lian was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and autism at age four, his mother, Sarah Lee, in her 40s, desperately scoured for information because the support system in Malaysia was inadequate.

Ping Lian lacked feelings or emotions, and had no sense of danger. He also would not allow people to touch him and sometimes threw terrible tantrums.

Single mom Sarah Lee and her son Yeak Ping Lian who is diagnosed with ADHD. "I was determined that he develop love and feelings for people. I told myself - if he can't talk, it's not a big problem but if he does not have feelings, it's a big problem. Without love, life has no meaning and he can be a dangerous person in future, " Lee recalled.

With ideas from her readings, Lee had him sleep with her husband and her. She switched on brain-stimulating music for him, used autosuggestion techniques such as talking to him lovingly and hugging him each time before he wakes up, and read to him with emotions and actions for an hour every morning. However, since her husband died last year from a heart attack, she does not have time to read to Ping Lian.

Not being able to cope alone, she sends her son to a learning centre for special children.

"It took me two years to get him to understand the concept of Mondays to Sundays. After he understood the basic concepts, he began to learn faster," she said.

Lee's efforts to stimulate feelings in him bore fruit. "One day in a supermarket, a little toddler in a pram started crying and he ran to her and cried. I knew then that he had developed some love and feelings," she said.

He now can read aloud, listens and understands well but is unable to reply.

When Ping Lian was seven, Lee sent him to a regular school to provide him with some kind of exposure. She trained him to take the school bus, told him the difference between boys' and girls' toilets, showed him the canteen and lined him up for assembly.

He could cope with the behavioural demands but not the academic demands. Lee took him out of school after two years and got him focused by teaching him only one language because that was all he could cope with.

"I chose English because there are a lot of materials available," she said.

"I chose functional lessons for him because his needs are beyond academic needs."

Lee sent him to Kumon classes to learn Mathematics and the teacher managed to get him to do arithmetic.

She motivates him with talk to spur him on.

"When he could not write, we (family) held his hand and taught him how to write and draw. Then we let him trace and colour every day and one day he could draw," said Lee.

"We set goals at different stages of his life and be focused. We tell ourselves to be contented with whatever we have while looking forward to better things to come. These principles help us to deal with the pressures in our lives. We also acknowledge that Ping Lian will face a little pressure in the process of achieving his goal," she said.

Outstanding achievements

From 2000, Ping Lian started drawing on his own and his drawings continued to improve; she sent him to art classes in 2003.

"I started planning art as a livelihood for him. The art teachers were nervous when I told them that but I assured them that I was willing to wait five, 10 or even 20 years," she said.

To Lee's surprise, Ping Lian achieved that within a year and has been involved in six exhibitions, two of which are solos. His water colour Ubudiah Mosque (in Perak) from a post card was auctioned off at RM100,000. Corporation collectors such as HSBC and Reckitt Benckiser have also bought his paintings.

"As a single mother, I don't have the time to do all this. It is with the support of my two daughters, friends, a learning centre, the art teachers and the British Women's Association that Ping Lian has come this far," said Lee, who gave up her sales and marketing senior post and works as a freelance account manager and real estate negotiator so that she can give more attention to her son.

The Wisconsin Medical Society has listed Ping Lian as one of the autistic savants. Savant Syndrome is a rare condition in which remarkable skills and abilities are seen in striking contrast to limitations from developmental disabilities.

Giving attention

Lee admitted that it is difficult to juggle attention between her son and her daughters, Sher Lyn, 18, and Cher Lyn, 14, and they sometimes complain that she does not spend enough time with them.

"They do understand my situation and I do try to meet their needs as best as I can. I told them that they have to be independent but if they need anything, they should come and ask me," she said.

Her eldest daughter does not go for tuition classes because she has no time to send her to classes. Initially, she was not happy because she could not follow the lessons in school.

"I told her to try harder. However, when she was in Form Four, I asked her if she needed tuition and she said she would try studying on her own first. She said she did not need it. She obtained As in all the 10 subjects she took for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. She did that all by herself without tuition classes," said Lee, adding that her daughter also picked up computer skills by herself and created a website for Ping Lian.

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Thursday, February 03, 2005

Strokes of genius from an 11-year-old autistic child

By VIVIENNE PAL

LOST in his own world, 11-year-old Yeak Ping Lian kneels on the floor, humming softly as he doodles on a yellow paper.

He is oblivious to my presence.

"Ping Lian, say hello to this che che," Sarah Lee said to her son who reluctantly moved away from his drawing.

Ping Lian does it all from scratch, even from mixing the colours.

"Hello," he mumbles while engulfing me in a hug.

"His eyes settle on the flowery motif of my dress.

"Paint," he enunciates in a clear voice, and then runs to his worktable and waits. "Paint flower!" he repeats louder.

The house is swamped with Ping Lian's art - on the walls, stacked up against banisters and under the tables.

They are done in charcoal, pencil, ink and marker pens with watercolour and acrylic.

While some resemble infantile scratchings, there are others that seem impossible for an 11-year-old to produce, such as the Petronas Twin Towers, the KL Railway Station, Christ Church, Malacca, charcoal etchings of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and the Dentistry Faculty of University Malaya.

His latest is "Prosperous Year", a vibrant acrylic painting of a rooster protecting a hen as she feeds.

"He works very fast. It takes him half an hour for a simple charcoal sketch and two hours for a serious art piece," said Lee.

Ping Lian's artistic talent is extraordinary. But, like any ordinary child, he is hyperactive and has a short attention span, loves root beer float and biscuits, dotes on his older sisters Sher Lyn and Cher Lyn, and enjoys watching Toy Story, Kidsongs, Sesame Street and Magic English. His latest preoccupation is the electric keyboard.

Unlike ordinary children, however, Ping Lian is autistic and diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Although he has an excellent memory and reads well, he has limited speech vocabulary, usually expressing himself in single or double words.

Crayons, paint, brushes and paper are some of Ping Lian's best friends. He is home-tutored and attends supplementary lessons for special needs children at the Emmanuel Care Centre. He also takes Kumon
classes in Mathematics.

As Lee spoke to me, Ping Lian grew increasingly fidgety. Fascinated by the StarMetro photographer's camera, he began to lose interest in the flowers and drew Kamarul Ariffin instead.

While Ping Lian started sketching, Lee recalled the time she found out about his condition.

"He couldn't speak even when he was three years old.

"I felt so lost when doctors told me that he was autistic," she said.

But Lee acted fast. Armed with information from the doctor, books and the Internet, Lee and her late husband began by teaching Ping Lian how to show affection and express himself.

They sent him to a normal school for almost two years to expose him to society.

While simple tracing and colouring were part of his daily imitation skills therapy, it wasn't until 2002 when Ping Lian began to display a sudden obsession for art.

"He usually traces simple pictures and lines, but one day after eating an ice-cream, he started drawing the pictures printed on the ice-cream wrapper. That was when I discovered he could draw. He just drew non-stop from then on," said Lee, who had by then nurtured hopes that her son would be a prolific artist someday. She sent him for art lessons, saved all his artworks and kept a diary of his progress.

The boy's talent is nurtured through the love from his family as is being done here by Cher Lyn (left) and Lee.

One day while surfing the Internet, she learnt about Savant Syndrome, an exceedingly rare, but remarkable, condition. People with it have serious mental handicap resulting from various developmental disabilities such as autism, have astonishing islands of ability or brilliance that stand in stark, markedly incongruous contrast to the overall disability.

Curious, Lee sent copies of Ping Lian's work to Dr Darold A. Treffert, an American psychiatrist and author of Extraordinary People: Understanding the Savant Syndrome. Dr Treffert has been studying Savant Syndrome for 40 years.

Ping Lian's extraordinary artistic ability led Dr Treffert to acknowledge him as an artistic savant. His profile is now listed on Dr Treffert's website, www.savantsyndrome.com, together with other notable savants from around the world.

"I've kept in touch with Dr Treffert ever since. Besides him, the Association of British Women in Malaysia (ABWM) has also been a tremendous support to me," said Lee, adding that her association with the ABWM began when she befriended ABWM Public Relations co-ordinator Caroline Gregory last year.

Caroline, together with ABWM members, are now preparing for Ping Lian's art to be exhibited at the ABWM House at 12, Jalan Merung 3, Bangsar from Feb 25 to March 24. Part of the proceeds will go to the
Emmanuel Care Centre.

"This is the first time we're holding an exhibition by a special needs child. Hopefully this will educate the expatriate community on such extraordinary abilities as well as give Lee a platform to share her experiences and encourage those who are undergoing similar struggles," said Caroline while lounging on a couch in Lee's hall.

The exhibition at ABWM House will not be Ping Lian's first. Since December 2003 he has held five exhibitions, sold 67 original art pieces and hundreds of limited edition prints.

Ping Lian keeps with the times, too.

His rendition of the Ubudiah Mosque sold for RM100,000 to an anonymous bidder during the RDA Charity Ball grand auction in aid of the Riding for the Disabled Association Malaysia last November. Some of his works were displayed at the Centre for Autism Spectrum Disorders conference in the United States last year.

Lee's excitement over the impending exhibition is palpable; it is part of her dream of developing Ping Lian into an outstanding artist and at the same time using a percentage of the proceeds from the sale
of Ping Lian's art to help other less fortunate autistic people.

It was two hours into the interview and Ping Lian was restless.

He tugged at Lee's sleeve and said: "Playground."

At her approval, he dashed straight for the park in front of the house.

On the table is a finished pencil portrait of Kamarul in amazing detail.

To view Ping Lian's art, visit www.pinglian.com. For more information on the exhibition, contact ABWM House at 03-2095 4407.

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Thursday, February 03, 2005

Doc: Loving, optimistic and motivated families vital

MOST people would remember Oscar award-winning movie Rain Man for its poignant depiction of how used car dealer Charlie Babbitt learnt to love Raymond, his severely autistic brother who had incomprehensibly outstanding abilities.

In the movie, Raymond had a talent or ability that stood in conspicuous contrast to his overall disability.

According to American psychiatrist Dr Darold A. Treffert, the prominent abilities are superimposed upon, or grafted on to, the underlying disability.

Dr Treffert, the author of Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome, has been studying Savant Syndrome for 40 years. He was a consultant for Rain Man and has appeared on Today, Oprah, Larry King Live and Discovery.

“In autistic disorder, savant abilities occur in as many as one in 10 children. In other disorders, Savant Syndrome is much less, perhaps as few as one in 2,000, for example,” said Dr Treffert in an e-mail interview with StarMetro.

Not all savants are autistic and not all autistic people are savants.

“When Savant Syndrome does occur, it occurs over a spectrum of abilities ranging from splinter skills (eg memorisation of trivia or other obsessive memory or sound recognition skills) to what I call talented savants (situations where usually a single ability such as art or music or maths are conspicuous and noteworthy) to what I call prodigious savants (circumstances in which the special skill or ability would be spectacular even if it were to be seen in a non-disabled person).

“The latter, in my view, are spectacular and there are fewer than 50 living worldwide at the present time,” said Dr Treffert.

When asked the number of savants in Asia, Dr Treffert said: “I don’t know for sure. I assume the number proportionately would be the same as elsewhere around the world, that is one in 10 autistic people and one in 2,000 with other special needs disorders.”

In his website Dr Treffert mentions that there is no single theory that explains the cause of savant. However, a plausible theory in many cases is left brain injury with right brain compensation, in that the right brain compensates for the damage in the left brain.

The skills most often seen in savants are those associated with the right hemisphere while those most lacking are associated with the left hemisphere.

Dr Treffert has classified Yeak Ping Lian under the category of artistic savant based on the description of his early childhood developmental difficulties and the nature of his artwork, which Sarah Lee provided.
He accredits Ping Lian’s progress to the love and devotion displayed by the family.

“In my experience, in each of the savant categories, particularly in the talented and prodigious groups, very loving, optimistic, motivated and hopeful families are a part of the equation of discovering and nurturing the special skills that surface and thrive, and we are all its beneficiaries.”

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September 17, 2004

Through the eyes of special kids

By GEETHA KRISHNAN

NO HOLLYWOOD flick has attempted to shed more light on autism than Rain Man. In it, high-flyer Tom Cruise forges a strong bond with his autistic brother, convincingly played by Dustin Hoffman who despite having a high IQ, has a learning disability.

Characteristics of autism vary and may be present in any combination, coupled with other forms of disability such as epilepsy, hearing, speech and other physical disabilities in varying degrees of severity.

These disabilities mask the real abilities of the autistic that range from being a mathematical genius, like the character played by Hoffman, to the artistic talent of Yeak Ping Lian, Ahmad Aizuddin Khairuddin and Clement Ooi.

Yeak's ability is focused art and produces spectacular pieces like this of a mosque. The young artists are displaying their works at an exhibition entitled Through My Eyes, which will be held at Villa Lotus in Jalan Damai, Kuala Lumpur till Oct 4.

The exhibition was opened on Sept 4 with guests of honour Datuk Oh Siew Nam and National Autistic Society of Malaysia executive director Liew Yoon Loy attending the event.

Though only 10, Yeak has previously exhibited at the National Art Gallery (in the Different Strokes exhibition) and at the Reka Art Space.

He has also had a solo exhibition.

Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with autistic features since he was four, Yeak is now home schooling with Kairos while attending supplementary lessons at the Emmanuel Care Centre.

He has also undergone speech and occupational therapy.

Yeak's works in Through My Eyes are proof of an extraordinary ability that is being channelled through a proper medium. The subjects, presented in mixed media, vary from landmarks to abstracts. Two of his works, featuring the Petronas Twin Towers in fluid strokes, garner the most attention at the exhibition.

The young boy, who enjoys bowling - an activity that also serves the purpose of improving his motor skills, is quite the master at blending colours for his artworks. With careful mastering, the subjects seem to rise out from the paintings, a skill only attained after several years by amateur artists.

Horses are also a favourite subject of Yeak's, and he paints defining silhouettes that capture the grace and agility of the beautiful creatures. Overall, Yeak is diverse in his approach to art. His innate talent is simply amazing.

In contrast, teenager Ahmad Aizuddin prefers to focus on buildings under construction and settles instead for ink for his artworks.

Ahmad, 17, was born with multiple congenital problems, secondary to intrauterine rubella infection, and communicates through sign language, vocalising familiar words, writing and sketching. He attends the Methodist Boys' School in Kuala Lumpur.

His construction works resemble an architect's rough sketches and closer inspection would reveal his signature, in the form of a self-portrait featuring his head. The young artist, who has also exhibited at the
Different Strokes exhibition, draws kites, boats and ships well.

Sketching since the age of two, Ahmad gains inspiration from his travels to and from school, on family outings and through books, TV and the computer. He is also interested in computers and aquariums.

The other teenager in the group, Clement Ooi, 15, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at the age of two. He attends the Subang Jaya Primary School and Kairos Resources. From an early age, Ooi could draw intricate patterns and designs by putting his photographic memory to good use.

He, too, has exhibited his works at the National Art Gallery and Reka Art Space exhibitions. His work on the illuminated Sultan Abdul Samad building in Kuala Lumpur in Through My Eyes is extremely convincing, with attention to minute details. The subjects are diverse, with Ooi capturing the scene at a morning market and of a flower and fish.

While Ooi seems to prefer mixed media, there are some in black and white. One striking piece showcases the brilliant orange of the heliconia against a dull background. Equally unique are the blocks of graffiti and abstract works.

A series of postcards on Through My Eyes have also been printed and are available at Villa Lotus which is at 19, Jalan Damai, Kuala Lumpur. Admission to the exhibition is free. For exhibition times, call 012-684 6424 (Billi) or 012-325 3049 (Chris).

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