In Thailand, Drama Therapy for Disabled Children

45-year-old Nakorn and his wife left their life in Songkla, south Thailand, seven years ago to be here in Chiang Mai.

They came to seek help for their only son at the Rajaanagarindra Institute of Child Development.

Their son has had Cerebral Palsy since birth... making it difficult for him to talk or walk...

With the help of drama therapy, things are starting to change...

He can now move freely using a wheelchair, make new friends and even sing on stage.

The class is led by Jeanne Calvit, an American actress who has been teaching drama therapy for more than 30 years.

She founded a center in the US to help artists with developmental problems.

“There was a young man who did not speak and we are here for almost two months. He didn’t speak, he had no expression on his face. But after the first month, he started singing. His caregiver who was with him was crying because they’ve never heard him singing before. And after that, he started speaking. We were at a performance, where he just grabbed the microphone and spoke to the audience.”

The therapy uses elements of drama, such as singing and acting, to improve student’s abilities.

But for Jeanne, there’s more to it than that...

“It’s tapped into the creativity, which is not usually tapped into by people with disabilities. Everything is usually focused on their function...

It’s like, oh they can walk across the street, they can dress, they know how to eat, they know how to clean their places. They can be creative, have ideas to do.”

Last year the Thai government said around 40 thousand children were born with disabilities.

And according to the 2007 national survey, more than 30 percent of Thai children have language and speech problems.

Hospital director Samai Sirithongthawon says the number is growing....

His hospital is now crowded with patients, almost twice its capacity.

He hopes drama therapy can help deal with the growing numbers.

“The technique is pretty new in caring for children with delayed development. It should be regarded as a model and promoted to other service units across the country.”

Jeanne believes the therapy is showing some positive results...

“When we started last year, we tried to help them to speak.. but they just whisper. We couldn’t get them to sing out loud, we couldn’t get them to smile. But after a few weeks, they started to sing... speak louder... and be more expressive. The more you work with them, the more you see them becoming more self-actualized. It’s just like they’re waking up.”

Recently the hospital held a theatre performance... starring children with various intellectual disabilities.

The play was about a doctor who tries to save wild animals during an environmental disaster.

20-year-old Omsin was a patient, but he has now conquered the stage...

“I’m the male lead and I can sing! The male singer who sings...(the he’s singing...). And I can speak English now too.”