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This is the second in a seotvies on Ministry of Egucation funded Waterleo County Board of Education operated schools. + Barbara Tupling didn‘t begin her teaching career in a big classroom surrounded by 30 happy, healthy children. Rather, she spent her first year of teaching in a small classroom helping six mentally retarded children become selfâ€"sufficient and independent within their own limitations. Since February of 1977, she has taught them everything from development skills to blissymâ€" bolics. More importantly she has developed a warm, understanding relationship with each and every one of them. The students are residents of Sunbeam Lodge on Pirnacle Drive, Kitchener. The private boarding home, licensed under the Children‘s Boarding Home Act, serves a maximum capacity of 18 indiâ€" viduals, the majority of whom are wards of the Children‘s Aid«=Seciggy. The Lodge is operated by Mr. and Mrs, John Vos. The children in the school program have been selected from the residents of the Lodge and proâ€" grams have been individually designed to meet their needs. The programs vary from stimulation only for the low functioning to a modified exercise program to improve muscular control and coâ€"ordiâ€" nation. Ideally the aim is to prepare the children that they might attend a Trainable Mentally Re tarded school in the community. â€" While some of her children are still at the developâ€" ment stage and stimulation exercise, listening to music and stories and toilet training take up their day, others are learning number concepts and readâ€" ing. At least two of her students are learning to listen with their eyes. The children are between five and 21 years of age. Their range of skills are just as broad. For many, establishing eye contact was the first skill to be learned before they could hope to proceed any further. Mrs. Tupling was introduced to the world of symâ€" bois as a substitute for speech through David. ‘"The celebrity‘‘ as the class affectionately calls him, was one of 10 children who experimented with semantoâ€" graphy or blissymbolics between Sept. 1971 and June 1974 at the Ontario Crippled Children‘s Centre School in Toronto. ~ In order to keep up with David who uses his symbol board to tell jokes and ask questions, Mrs. Tupling took part in a weekâ€"long seminar on elementâ€" ary blissymbolics. She found the course very helpâ€" ful in understanding David and expanding Jane‘s 100 symbol board. David, Jane and hundreds of other handicapped children have Charles K. Bliss to thank for their new mode of communication. The 83 yearâ€"old native of Australia spent years formulating this universal grammar composed of pictographic symbols. His work marked the first time in the history of manâ€" kind a logical pictorial symbol writing has been â€" Shakespearean Film serâ€" ies at WLU. The film Henry V, directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier will be shown at 7 p.m. in Room 1E1 of the WLU arts buildâ€" ing. Admission is free, evâ€" eryone welcome. Thursday, Feb. 23 â€" Dr. Giacinto Scoles, UW chemâ€" ist, will be talking about some of his recent research into intermolecular forces in simple systems at 8 p.m. in room 5$158, mathematics and â€" computer _ building, â€" Music at Noon Concert. â€" Barrie Cabena on organ and Michael Purves â€" Smith on the harpsichord. The concert begins at 12:30 p m. in the WLU theatre audiâ€" torium. _ Admission _ free, everyone welcome. Friday, Feb. 24. â€" Dr __â€"Warmth and understanding © _ Community calendar needed to teach these children By Terry James John Hotson, UW econoâ€" mist; Max Saltsman, M.P.; and Jim Gillies, PC finance critic in the federal govâ€" ernment and York Econoâ€" mist, will participate in a panel discussion on ‘"Can Canada‘s Economic Probâ€" lems be Solved?"‘ Sponsorâ€" ed by UW Alumni Associaâ€" tion. Event will be held in the downtown Holiday Inn,. Toronto. Saturday, Feb. 25 â€" Satâ€" urday Matinee at the Waâ€" terloo Public Library. See ‘‘"Prowlers in the Everâ€" glades"‘ by Walt Disney, ‘‘The Seven Ravens‘" and others. Films get underâ€" way at 2:30 pm. Admission is free. Sunday, Feb. 26 â€" A group of people who are pro the Newfoundland _ seal _ hunt will be in the Kâ€"W communâ€" ""“, "ih Barb Tupling, centre, teacher at Sunbeam Lodge, watches over David and Jane as they speak to her through the use of blissymbolics. ~ In 1975 demands mushroomed â€"making it essential to form an independent agency to handle inâ€"service training, dissemination of information, updating, symbol boards, video tapes and research. With the help of the Ontario Crippled Children Centre the Blissymbolics Communication Foundation was esâ€" tablished. Funding continued until Oct. 1976 at which time the Kellogg Foundation undertook the funding of the foundation for a term of two years. Today fourteen persons are involved with the office on Eglinton St. in Toronto on both a partâ€"time and fullâ€"time basis. In 1965 a book entitled "Semantography or Bliâ€" symbolics‘‘ was printed and was available only through Charles Bliss himself. In 1971 Ontario resiâ€" dent, Shirley McNaughton came across it and she and team members from the Ontario Crippled Children‘s Centre decided to try blissymbols with a selected group of crippled children. David is an example of its success. \ The early programs were funded by the Ministry of Education and dissemination of information was handled through the Ontario Crippled Children‘s Centre. invented that can be read in all languages. ity Feb. 26. They will be performing on the UW camâ€" pus Feb. 27 as members of "The Mummers‘ and will be staging ‘"They Club Seals, Don‘t They?" in the theatre of the arts at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27 â€" Tickâ€" ets for the Children‘s Inâ€" ternational Summer Vilâ€" lages Family Dinner and dance at the Valhalla Inn on March 4, must be purâ€" chased by this date. Cost is $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for children. For more inâ€" formation phone 885â€"0966 or 623â€"5960 Tuesday, Feb. 28 â€" Pubâ€" lic lecture at WLU. Dr. Granskou of the WLU will speak â€" about nationalism and the New Testament. Lecture is part of English 348 course and begins at The organizational structure of the foundation is Te 4 7 p.m. Feb. 28 in room 2â€" 201 of the WLU Central Teaching Building. Admisâ€" sion is free. â€" Magic Carpet Storytime at Waterloo Public Library. "A visit with Puff the Magâ€" ic Dragon," at 10:15 a.m. for all preschoolers. Adâ€" mission is library card. Listen to stories, sing songs and chat with "Puff". â€" Christian Women‘s Leaâ€" gue will hold annual meetâ€" ing between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Bingeman Park, 1208 Victoria N. Cost is $4.25 inclusive and speakâ€" er will be Ninette Di Gangi, Don Mills, Ont. â€" Meeting of La Leche Leaâ€" gue at 42 Heins Ave. (Vicâ€" toria Park) beginning at 8 p.m. Topic is ‘"Art of Breastâ€" feeding and Overcoming Difficulties." B n s g . P m > 4n i t s o y ns ooR io Waterico Chronicle, Wednesday, February 22, 19 in its early stages and its aims have been outlined to include the standardized formulation of symbols, keeping the integrity of the system intact, training instructors and additional staff to carry out workâ€" shops and establishing 13 resource centres by Auâ€" gust, 1978. Before David and Jane were chosen for a blisâ€" symbolics program, both had to exhibit the desire to communicate, the ability to follow directions on oral command and be able to attend to a task for approximately five minutes. Picture boards, word boards, letter boards and finger spelling are all methods of communication used by nonâ€"verbal persons but blissymbolics has proven to be the most effective for a number of reaâ€" sons. The utilization of symbols as opposed to picâ€" tures is felt to increase the generalizability of the child‘s communication and has been chosen over manual signing and fingerspelling because children with motoric impairments cannot write. Bliss sym.ols are less complex to learn than words and the child is not required to attain spelling or word recognition skills. Because blissâ€"symbols always appear with the corresponding word or words the child can communicate with anyone in any environâ€" ment. It is not necessary for the message receiver tolearn the system. Mrs. Tupling uses blissymbolics for concept buildâ€" ing, development, preâ€"reading skill development and organized thinking. By learning this mode of communication Jane and David can for the first time test ideas, acquire information, ask questions and release emotions by expressing their feelings about themselves and others around them. David‘s 400 symbol board attempts to provide an expanded vocabulary which through the use of symâ€" bol strategies, a supplementary personal dictionary and alphabet skills will allow the child to express himself fully. The vocabularies come on boards containing 100, 200 or 400 symbols. They are presented in a large form on the children‘s tray. Nouns and adjectives are generally chosen as the first symbols. Jane‘s 100 word vocabulary consists of symbols which look like objects, present an idea or the combination of both. If there‘s one attitude that predominates in the classroom it‘s enthusiasm. Although each child demonstrates it in his or her own way it‘s definitely there, and if Mrs. Tupling has anything to do with it, enthusiasm,. understanding, perseverance and determination are in the classroom to stay. While expanding David‘s and Jane‘s vocabulary is important to Mrs. Tupling, she realizes that each child deserves individual attention and she strives to give them just that. At least once a week she takes each child aside and develops a one to one relationship with them whether the time is spent teaching them to count or just talking and getting to know each other. Music is a number one favourite in the classroom and one shouldn‘t be surprised to find any of the children ‘"boogying"‘ to their favourite tune.